


The One Percent

by kethni



Series: Redux [2]
Category: Veep
Genre: AU, F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy, request, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-21 22:53:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 52,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2485181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing is 100% effective... </p>
<p>AU Sequel to 'Weird and Interesting'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Sue Has a Secret

**Author's Note:**

> For CrazyMaryT - I hope you enjoy it!
> 
>  
> 
> Spoilers for season 3

 

 

‘Are you awake?’

Sue opened her eyes. It was almost pitch black in the bedroom. The only light was from the alarm clock. She couldn’t see Kent getting ready for bed but she could hear him, and she felt him pull back the bedcovers. As he climbed into bed, muttering under his breath about the coldness of the sheets, Sue shifted slightly away.

It didn’t help. She felt the bed dip as he rolled onto his side. Facing her. He touched her shoulder, fingertips gently inquisitive.

‘Sue?’

‘I’m tired,’ Sue said, and rolled onto her side, away from him. 

He dropped his hand but he didn’t move away. She heard him sigh quietly.

***

 

Sue twitched her phone between her fingers as she silently stared at the calendar on her screen. There was something soothing about the pressure of the pen twitching to and fro, and she was in sore need of soothing.

A shadow crossed her desk. She didn’t look up. It wasn’t necessary. She had registered the sound of his footsteps, with the keys jingling on the third step, and the almost imperceptible smell of his cologne.

‘Miss Wilson-’

‘ _What?_ ’

If the stunned expression on his face hadn’t told her that she’d spoken with much more volume, and considerably more bile, than she intended, then the sudden silence in the room would have.

Sue set her shoulders. ‘What is it, Sir?’

‘I have the numbers that the president asked for,’ Kent said meekly.

‘She’s on a call to England.’ Sue dropped her gaze back to her computer. ‘When she has finished I will inform her.’

He waited for a moment, no longer, and then walked away. Sue forced herself not to watch. At that moment she could not deal with his hurt feelings or bruised ego.

 ***

 

‘What the fuck was that about?’ Amy asked, putting her tray down in front of Sue.

Sue looked up from the salad she was pushing around her plate. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Having lunch. Or a late lunch or whatever the fuck it’s called when this is the only meal I’m going to have all fucking day.’ Amy sat down. ‘Don’t give me that look, Wilson, I saw you just lose it in the office. Consider this an inter-fucking-vention.’

‘I did not “lose it”, and I never have,’ Sue said crisply.

Amy gave her a look.

‘Really.’

‘After you damn near walked out in sympathy with him, I fucking hope you haven’t split up already,’ Amy said, lowering her voice.

Sue shook her head. ‘I am not having a conversation with you about this.’

Amy rolled her eyes and shoved a mouthful of pasta salad into her mouth. ‘Haven’t I apologised enough, do you want fucking blood?’

‘You haven’t apologised at all.’

‘Kent’s not giving me the fucking silent treatment.’

Sue stabbed a piece of tomato with her fork. ‘He’s not your friend.’

‘Boo-fucking-hoo,’ Amy snorted. At Sue’s raised eyebrow, she waved a hand. ‘Sorry. Okay?’

Sue rubbed her forehead. ‘I am not giving you the silent treatment. I am not four years old.’

Amy noisily took a gulp of coffee. ‘What’s the deal with the snarling?’

Sue pushed away her salad. She met Amy’s gaze. ‘When I am ready to talk about it, you will be the second person to know.’

 

 ***

It was one of those rare occasions when Sue arrived home after Kent, and a good hour later at that. Admittedly, she would have arrived twenty minutes earlier but she had been pacing the local park. She would likely have continued doing so, if the resident vagrants hadn’t started to look irritated at her constant disturbances.

She opened the door to the apartment and took a deep breath of the fragrant air. He’d been cooking, it smelled like duck. Her favourite. Sue took off her coat and hung it up, slipped off her shoes, and crept into the bedroom. The bed appeared to stare at her in silent accusation. In the last week he had twice tried to initiate sex, and she had twice refused. He hadn’t tried it since.

Sue changed out of her work clothes and into her pyjamas. She sat in front of her dressing table and brushed out her hair. Then she took off her makeup, wrapped up in her robe, pushed her feet into her slippers, and headed to the kitchen.

Kent had changed into a polo shirt and chinos. She thought he’d trimmed his beard. There was a bottle of red wine sat warming to room temperature. Sue almost backed out of the room but he turned and noticed her.

‘Making dinner,’ he said, unnecessarily.

‘Smells good.’

He nodded and gestured at bottle of wine.

‘Thank you.’ Sue folded her arms as he opened the bottle and poured a couple of glasses. ‘Had lunch with Amy today.’

‘Good.’

‘It wasn’t my choice.’ Sue accepted the glass he offered her. ‘Why good?’

Kent took a sip of wine, put the glass down, and turned back to the counter. ‘Friends are more difficult to find than lovers.’

‘That’s a matter of opinion.’ It was weak. She would be the first to admit it.

‘You shouldn’t lose one because of me.’ Kent took a knife from the block and began slicing carrots.

‘Rather her than you.’

She watched him pause. Thinking about it.

‘Wasn’t a choice between us,’ he said.

The knife was sharp and sliced through the carrots with a swift, almost hypnotic motion. Kent carefully tipped the carrots into the roasting pan along with a variety of other vegetables and put the pan into the oven. The scent of duck and roast potatoes wafted out.

Sue took a sip of her wine and winced. Something was terribly wrong with it. She put down the glass on the kitchen counter.

‘I’m sorry that I snapped at you,’ she said quietly.

Kent shrugged and didn’t turn around to face her.

‘Please talk to me.’

‘I’m not the one who hasn’t been talking.’ Kent started making some kind of sauce.

Sue picked up the bottle of wine. Something to do with her hands. Something else to pretend to concentrate on.

‘You’re going to a lot of trouble with the food,’ she said.

‘I enjoy cooking. Food is chemistry. Science. No ambiguity.’

Sue turned the bottle around and read the label. Read it a second time. Read it a third time as the nausea filled her stomach and bile rose in her throat. Read it a fourth time as he took the bottle from her, put it down, and put his arm around her.

***

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘You’re being ridiculous.’

Sue couldn’t look at him. They were still stood in the kitchen. She was uneasy in his embrace, unable to stand the offered comfort, unwilling to forgo it. He was at least as horrified as she was and she knew he was struggling with it. She also knew that she wasn’t helping much.

‘I promised you this wouldn’t happen,’ Sue said.

‘It was never a very realistic promise.’

She punched his arm. He pulled her suddenly tight and buried his face in her neck.

‘Are you alright?’ Sue asked quietly, rubbing his back. She tensed as an alarm went off.

Kent let go abruptly and turned to the oven. ‘A moment.’

Sue brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘Why’re you cooking?’

‘We have to eat.’

‘You’ve gone to so much trouble.’ Sue rubbed her forearm. ‘I should have dressed up.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s easy for things to slip. To take people for granted. Didn’t want you think I had.’

Sue licked her lips. ‘How long will it be?’

Kent was busy doing something with the duck. ‘Perhaps twenty minutes.’

‘I’ll change.’ She put her hand on his back and he tensed at her touch. ‘I won’t be long.’

‘Sure.’

 He didn’t look around. She supposed that was hardly unreasonable.

***

 

 He had laid the table. No trays on knees. Tablecloth, silverware, glasses, even napkins. Everything perfect. Perhaps that was the point. Five hours earlier she’d yelled at him in front of everyone, and he’d come home and worked to make everything perfect.

‘You look nice.’

It surprised her. She’d taken her cue from him: smart casual, with a short skirt, nice blouse, a little makeup. He drew out of her chair for her.

‘Thank you,’ she said. The wine was on the table. The tell-tale wine.

Kent settled opposite her.

‘Are we going to talk?’ she asked.

‘Okay,’ he said.

‘It’s yours.’

‘I never... Of course... why would you...’ He was clearly astonished. It had only taken two words to reduce him to spluttering.

Sue shrugged. ‘We’re always so careful. It seems so unlikely.’

He took a breath. Picked up his fork. ‘Less unlikely than you cheating.’ He looked down at the fork. ‘It was the bath.’

‘When we were in England, certainly. I may have mistimed with the changes in time zone. Timing is important.’

‘I didn’t know that.’

‘I don’t really have to drink this horrible alcohol-free wine do I?’ Sue asked. ‘I’d rather drink juice.’

He didn’t look up. ‘It prompted you to talk to me about it.’

‘When did you know?’

‘I knew you missed the first period. You didn’t seem particularly concerned at first. Then you missed the second and I was concerned there was a medical issue.’ He looked at her. ‘I was somewhat relieved when you clearly began blaming me. Although that sensation didn’t last long.’

‘Let me get you a proper drink.’ Sue got up, poured him a glass of pinot noir, and herself a glass of water.

‘I thought you must be ambivalent,’ Kent said as she sat down. ‘Or you would have simply… dealt with it.’

Sue took a few moments to cut her duck and a piece of roast potato. ‘I would have told you,’ she said quietly.

‘Of course, but you would have _informed_ me, not debated it with me or asked me. You wouldn’t have waited for the right moment to have a discussion about it.’ Kent held up his hand when she started to argue. ‘Your body. Your choice. That is understood. My point is merely that you have not taken that step. Ergo, I conclude that you are unsure what you want to do.’

He took a gulp of wine, and that was what concerned her. His tone and his manner had been as calm as she could have hoped for, and they were lies. Seeing him drain the glass in two mouthfuls made that strikingly clear.

‘It’s rare,’ Sue said.

‘I know that.’ He stood up and poured himself another glass of wine. His hands were shaking and the neck of bottle rattled against the lip of the glass. ‘I told you that.’

Sue stood up. Wine was splashing both into the glass and onto the counter. She gently put her hands over his and pulled away both the glass and the bottle.

‘You cooked, let me do this,’ she said.

He put his hands on the counter but didn’t otherwise move. ‘You’re not talking.’

Sue poured him a small glass of wine. ‘There’s a test. Charlie told me.’

‘What _?’_ It wasn’t a shout. A shout would have been less concerning. It was a flat question as the colour drained from his face.

‘No. No. No. I would never tell anyone else before I spoke to you.’ Sue took his hand and put it to her chest. ‘Weeks and weeks ago. After the funeral. I saw her in the café. I told you. We were talking. She mentioned there was a test now.’

Kent looked at his hand. ‘She would know,’ he said. ‘It’s one of her causes.’

‘I don’t have causes.’

‘You don’t have _time_ for causes.’ Kent entwined their fingers and lowered their hands.

‘You’re right,’ Sue said. ‘I am indeed ambivalent.’

He kissed her cheek. ‘Let’s eat. Can we do that for now?’

***

‘Don’t,’ Sue said, seeing Kent looking at the dishes piled up. She caught his hand. ‘Come on.’

‘Where are we going?’ he asked, letting her pull him along the corridor.

‘Bedroom.’

His steps faltered for a moment before he continued after her. When they reached the bedroom she pushed him down onto the bed and climbed onto his lap.

‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ he murmured as she kissed him.

‘You don’t have to do anything.’ Sue pulled the polo shirt up over his head.

Kent raised an eyebrow as he unbuttoned her blouse. ‘This situation doesn’t seem conducive to doing nothing.’

‘Then do what you feel you can.’ Sue unbuttoned his chinos and then his flies. She eased him out, feeling him grow hard as she did.

He pulled off her blouse and put it aside. His hands were warm as they slid over her waist. ‘You’re wearing your best lingerie.’ He ran his fingers across the lace fringing her bra.

‘You don’t approve?’ Sue pulled her skirt up and her panties down.

‘I didn’t anticipate sex,’ he said, gripping her thighs. ‘You did.’

Sue put her hands on his shoulders as he gently shifted her position. She lent in to kiss him as he entered her.

‘I thought you always anticipated sex,’ she said, gentle, teasing. Aware of the bruising her recent refusals had inflicted.

‘I never anticipate. I _hope_.’ He took her weight with one hand and rested the other hand on her back. ‘Not the wisest thing. Not quite as unwise as constant anticipation.’

Sue sighed and rested her forehead against his. ‘I like your hope.’

‘Do you?’ he asked quietly. The hand on her back was rubbing in circles.

‘You know I do.’ She kissed him, slowly and softly.

 ***

 

Sue flexed her toes as Kent dropped down onto the pillow next to her. After a moment he gathered himself enough to roll onto his side, drape a hand across her waist, and rest his face against her neck.

‘Good?’ she murmured, idly stroking his back.

‘Mmm,’ he sighed, his breath warm and moist against her skin.

Sue closed her eyes. She hadn’t anticipated. She had chosen, as she always chose.

‘I would have asked you,’ she said.

There was a long pause. Long enough that she wondered if he was falling asleep. Then he raised his face and looked at her.

‘You would have asked me?’ he asked, gazing at her.

‘I wouldn’t have done it without talking to you. I would never do that to you.’

He tucked a loose lick of her hair behind her ear. ‘Okay.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ she said.

‘I believe you.’ He propped himself up on his elbow. ‘It wasn’t meant to be an accusation.’

Sue touched his chest. Younger men, more fashionable men, would have shaved or waxed that thatch. Younger men, more fashionable men, would, in her opinion, have looked ridiculous.

‘I’m not as ferocious as you think I am.’

Kent put his hand over hers. ‘Nor as independent as you think you are.’

Sue moved her hand over to the centre of his chest.

‘Contrary to popular opinion I do have a heart,’ Kent said. He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. ‘It’s this big.’

‘It’s beating very fast,’ Sue said quietly.

‘Terror will do that.’

She nodded. ‘What’re we going to do?’

Kent closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead. ‘First we need that test. If it’s available here. We might need to travel to find a doctor.’

‘I don’t even know what it’s called,’ Sue said. ‘I could ask-’

‘No.’ A flat and final pronouncement. ‘Don’t discuss it with Charlie.’ He opened his eyes. Looked at her. ‘Apologies that was intolerably rude.’

‘I didn’t realise you disliked my talking to her quite so much.’

Kent shook his head. ‘It isn’t that. I’d rather delay her knowing until we have all the facts. It might not be necessary for her to know. Better not to tell in that case.’

Unspoken: if the test is positive. If steps must be taken. If they had to do the kindest thing.

‘As you say,’ Sue said, agreeing to the said and unsaid together.

Kent looked at her. ‘It’s bound to upset her.’

‘It would upset anyone.’

‘I should be the one to tell her. I owe her that.’

‘I can do it,’ Sue offered.

Kent kissed her. ‘I should do it. It’s the right thing to do. Asking you would be cowardly.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you frightened of her?’

‘I exclusively date women who frighten me,’ he said.

Sue snorted. ‘Seeing you makes her stomach act up. She told me.’

‘I have a long acquaintance with Charlie’s uneasy stomach.’

‘She thinks you hate her.’

Kent frowned slightly. ‘She should know me better that that.’

‘You said she was evil.’

‘That was simply common courtesy,’ Kent said.

‘Explain.’

He shrugged. ‘Nobody wants to hear their partner rhapsodise about their ex.’

‘True.’ Sue gently tugged at his chest hair. ‘What’re we going to do?’

‘I read in a study that we make decisions subconsciously and then find reasons to justify them.’

‘That would explain a great deal,’ Sue said. ‘What is your point?’

Kent shrugged. ‘You know what you want to do.’

‘Stop making this my decision.’ Sue poked his chest. ‘Attempting to pass off a refusal to decide as an effort to be supportive will not work.’

‘It’s not my choice.’

‘No, and it’s not my choice either. Not in isolation.’ She watched him look away. ‘Talk to me.’

Kent caught her hand and stroked her fingers. ‘What do you want me to say?’

‘What do you want to do?’

‘I hate children.’

‘I don’t like them either,’ Sue said, and waited.

‘They’re utterly selfish and completely without morals. Small psychopaths.’

Sue nodded. ‘They destroy your social life. Wreck your body. Ruin your sleep patterns.’

‘Logistically it would be a nightmare.’

‘Completely impractical,’ Sue agreed.

‘I want to keep it,’ he said quietly, hardly loud enough to be heard.

Sue stroked her foot along his calf. ‘So do I.’


	2. Cookies, Coffee, and Consequences

 

 

Negotiating the forums for information was an operation to test the most optimistic of souls. Sue was not such a soul. She would be the first to admit it. Kent had been distinctly unenthusiastic about the forums. Evidently he had not found support groups as helpful or edifying as Charlie had, and imagined that forums would be much the same. Nonetheless, she persevered.

It took Sue some while to find a list of recommended health care providers and longer still to cross-reference against their official statistics. At work she checked those against the _unofficial_ but far more informative statistics. Her time in politics had taught Sue the unfortunate but unavoidable truth that there was no such thing as official information without an agenda or a bias. She had even spent a fascinating half hour listening to Kent designing a series of polls that would elicit entirely contradictory responses to the same basic question. It seemed that while nothing would sway the hard core left or right on any issue the great undecided central mass were terrifyingly malleable.

At a little after ten-thirty Sue gathered a pile of paperwork and marched into his office, startling the two dream metrics analysts who were, he had texted, driving him slowly to the brink of pulling out his hair. In her considered opinion, that would be a crime not only against good manners but also sartorial standards everywhere.  

‘Miss Wilson,’ he said gravely.

‘These need signing,’ she said, waving a stack of memos at him.

‘Ten minutes,’ he said, snapping his fingers at the hapless analysts.

Sue watching approvingly as they silently scuttled out, shutting the door behind them.

‘I miss coffee and cookies,’ Sue said, sitting down.

Kent held up a finger. He turned around, bent down, and flipped the switch of a small coffee machine. ‘There are cookies in the jar by the door. Behind the model of the schooner.’

‘I have always admired your forward planning,’ Sue said, twisting around to take the jar from behind the model. ‘If other members of staff did the same life would be a good deal smoother.’

‘For certain individuals there is no doubt.’ Kent took two coffee mugs from a desk drawer. ‘Others I would be prefer to continue bumbling along incompetently without the benefit of increased effectiveness.’ 

‘How is Jonah?’ Sue asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kent snorted. ‘Agitating to be moved. He’s Dan’s problem for now.’ He was quiet for a moment and then reached across to touch the back of her hand.

‘I found several doctors who are highly recommended,’ she said, catching his fingers and squeezing them. ‘One here at Georgetown University.’

‘If we need to travel then we’ll travel.’

‘I agree, but I don’t believe that it’s necessary,’ Sue released his hand and sat back.

Kent fussed with the coffee mugs, deliberately avoiding looking at her. ‘There are some situations when it seems appropriate to put aside wider points of principle in favour of specific personal considerations.’

Sue took the coffee as he pushed it across the desk. ‘If you are implying that I should put aside my desire for financial parity in order to secure better medical care, then we are in agreement.’ She took a sip. ‘I am not a fool, Kent,’ she said quietly.

He winced. ‘Apologies.’

Sue took a cookie, broke it in half, and held it to his mouth. Kent sheepishly opened his mouth and let her pop it inside.

‘I’ll book us an appointment at Georgetown as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘We would have more options for appointments if I went alone…’ Sue trailed at the expression on his face. ‘But of course you would prefer to be there.’

He swallowed the cookie and quickly brushed away the crumbs with the back of his hand. ‘You don’t want me to be there?’

Sue shook her head. ‘I do, however I am aware that this is likely to be difficult for you.’

‘I’m a big boy,’ Kent said.

‘I am well aware.’ She crossed her legs. ‘I’ll check your diary for your availability.’

Kent shook his head. ‘Make the appointment as soon as possible and I’ll ensure my availability.’

‘Selina may feel differently.’

He met her eyes. ‘Please don’t make me resort to some ridiculous macho posturing in order to convince you that I will keep my word.’

Sue finished her coffee. ‘I believe I might enjoy observing that, if only for the novelty value.’

***

 

There remained the issue of Dan. Sue was not by nature a vindictive person, nonetheless some transgressions demanded a response. To allow this one to go unanswered was simply unacceptable. As if listening at keyholes were not bad enough, he had gone behind their backs

Besides, plotting some terrible vengeance was an entirely welcome distraction from other concerns. She had, as yet, no particular idea in mind. By preference it would be something spectacularly embarrassing that would at the same time not cause any political fall-out. As despicable an excuse for a human being as he was, there was no disputing that he was reasonably competent. Removing Dan would leave no more three or four individuals capable of doing their jobs, and she and Kent were two of those.

Ben shambled across the room. Even by his own, distinctly lax, standards he was looking unwell. His eyes were bloodshot and bleary while a number of nicks on his neck showed that he had repeatedly cut himself while shaving. He approached Sue’s desk and scratched at his head.

‘Uh, hey, Sue.’

She concentrated on her computer. ‘What can I do for you, Ben?’

He shifted from foot to foot and lowered his voice. ‘Can we go talk in my office?’

Sue looked at him silently until his face flushed. ‘Now?’

‘Please.’

Sue smoothed her dress down as she stood. As she passed Kent’s office, she caught his eye. He was on the phone but frowned in confusion and concern when he saw her.

It occurred to her that if they were to fire her now, she could likely retire on the money she’d get in a settlement to avoid a lawsuit. Sue was loyal but she was no Amy and certainly no Gary. Her first loyalty was always to herself.

‘Uh, take a seat, Sue,’ Ben said, shutting the door.

She moved a pile of paper from the chair and put it on the floor. ‘I have a great deal of work to do.’

‘Absolutely and we all understand that this is an incredibly stressful time for everyone.’ Ben scratched his forehead. ‘Um, if you’re in need of some extra assistance or… whatever.’

Sue raised her eyebrow. ‘Are you offering this to everyone?’

‘Everyone didn’t yell at Kent in the office,’ Ben said mildly. ‘Everything…uh. You know?’

They hadn’t yet discussed how to deal with work. Sue had been reluctant to deliberate too far into the future, to become emotionally invested at this point.

Sue pursed her lips. ‘Is this a private conversation?’

Ben drummed his fingers on the table. ‘It’s as private as you need it to be.’

‘I need it to be private.’

‘Okay.’

‘Entirely private, Ben. It’s a very personal issue.’

He nodded. ‘Okay, shoot. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with you two; together, broken up, hate fucking, I got no clue. Honestly I don’t know how you stand the guy.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘He hasn’t made a complaint.’

‘No, but we can’t have you screaming at him. Well, not in the office. That’s kinda Selina’s gig.’ Ben shrugged. ‘Besides, maybe this way we can head him off. He can be vindictive as hell.’

‘Does she know about this?’

Ben shrugged easily. ‘The yelling? Sure. She doesn’t have to know about your personal stuff. She doesn’t give a shit about it anyway.’ He picked up his huge mug and took a gulp of coffee.

‘I’m pregnant.’

Ben hastily swallowed and almost choked. ‘Is it his…I mean…Does he know? Are you keeping… Jesus Christ!’

‘I am quite confident that I am not carrying Jesus.’ Sue checked her watch. ‘I will ignore that you queried the paternity. Yes, Kent is aware. We have not yet decided. There are certain medical issues which are continuing to cause a considerable amount of tension.’ She crossed her legs. ‘I am telling you this because it is possible that one or both of us may be somewhat distracted. We will of course continue to work to the best of our ability.’

‘Medical issues.’

‘I’m not prepared to go into detail,’ Sue said.

Ben lent forward in his chair. ‘Are you okay?’

‘My health is not the issue.’

‘Oh. _Oh_.’ He rubbed his forehead. ‘He already lost a kid you know.’

Sue blinked. ‘I wasn't aware that you knew that.’

‘It’s my job to know this stuff.’ Ben rubbed his face. ‘I’ll do you a deal: you try, just try, to keep the volcanic eruptions out of the office, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you get to your appointments and scans and whatever.’

It took her a moment to reply. ‘Thank you, Ben. That is very kind.’

He waved his hand. ‘I don’t want you ripping me a new asshole. Or suing. Not that you have any fucking cause but since when did that matter.’

Sue uncrossed her legs. ‘Is that all?’

‘Does anyone else know?’

‘No. Kent has undertaken to be available as necessary but he may be overestimating his flexibility.’

Ben snorted. ‘There’s an image. Wait, so you’re telling me in the hope I’ll help him get away or time.’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘Didn’t admit that you mean. Of course I'll do what I can.'

Sue touched his hand. 'Thank you.'

'Fuck, now I’m being played by secretaries. No offense.’

Sue rolled her eyes. ‘May I go?’

Ben nodded and didn’t speak until she reached the door. ‘Sue? If things don’t... don’t pan out. You can just say that, or something similar. Please don’t feel compelled to tell me chapter and verse if you’re not comfortable with it.’

* * *

The appointment was at four and they rode in a cab. Sue looked down at the seat between them. Their hands were tightly clasped and their fingers entwined.

‘Was it like this before?’ she asked.

He had to think for a moment. ‘No. We didn’t know anything about it until he was born. When I did some research I found a couple of deaths in the family, years and years ago, that might have been cases. But infant mortality was much higher then and it’s difficult to be sure.’

‘Ah.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘Several decades ago my family had a batch of multiple births.’

‘Twins?’

‘And triplets. Non-identical.’

‘Please don’t do that,’ he said after a moment. ‘We’ll have to find a new apartment.’

She laughed, feeling close to hysteria. Knowing it was displacement.

Kent leant across and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Amy came over early for breakfast. She looked around the apartment suspiciously.

‘What the fuck is going on? You never invite me for breakfast. Where’s Kent?’

Sue turned on the coffee machine. ‘He’s in the gym. He knows you’re here.’

Army slid onto a stool. ‘This isn’t a warm up to some kinky shit is it?’

Sue stared at her. ‘No.’

‘Just so I know where I stand.’

Sue laid out pastries and fruit along with pancakes and bacon.

‘Amy, I say this as your friend, I would invite Selina for “kinky shit” a long time before I asked you.’ She poured the coffee. ‘At least she knows how to enjoy sex.’

‘You know you’ve been together too long when you start in with that stuff,’ Amy muttered. ‘Watch Kent doesn’t go asking for a threesome.’

‘He’s had one, his girlfriend at the time arranged one for his fiftieth,’ Sue said mildly. ‘He said it was fun but tiring emotionally.’

‘Why are we talking about Kent having sex?’ Amy groaned.

‘You started it.’ Sue sat down. ‘I owe you an apology. I told you that you would be the second person to know what was bothering me. That was Ben.’

Amy shovelled bacon into her mouth. ‘When he dragged you off in front of everyone.’

‘Yes.’

Amy scowled. ‘Kent hasn’t been screwing around?’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m not sure which is more unlikely, that he would or that after I found out I would still be in the same apartment while he walked around unmaimed.’

Amy gulped her coffee. ‘You didn’t maim your ex.’

‘That was different. I didn’t have the same level of emotional investment.’

Amy narrowed her eyes. ‘You didn’t get me here to ask me to be a bridesmaid. I look fucking awful in puffy dresses and I don’t wear yellow, orange, or pink.’

‘We’re not getting married,’ Sue paused. ‘At least we have no immediate plans. Possibly if I have the baby.’

Amy put down her knife and fork. She walked over to the coffee machine and poured herself a big mug of coffee. Then she walked back and sat down. She took a deep drink. Then she carefully put the mug down. ‘You promised me there would be no babies. You said you had discussed it.’

‘Amy, you know us, we are always careful. The pill is ninety-nine per cent effective and we almost always use a condom as well. The chances of getting pregnant were very small,’ Sue said. 'They should have been negligible.'

‘I cannot believe you would do this! To me, to Selina, to the campaign!’

Sue peeled an orange. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’

‘I’m not the one who let the coldest asshole in DC get her pregnant!’ Amy stopped abruptly. ‘Wait, isn’t there some birth defect thing? That’s right isn’t it?’

‘An inherited condition. We are having tests.’

Amy sipped her coffee. ‘So you called me over here to invite me to shove my foot in my mouth. Thanks.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Sue took a bite of her orange. ‘I rescind my apology. You are the second person I’ve told. I didn’t tell Kent, he already knew.’

Amy speared a pancake with her fork. ‘I do not want to know how.’ She took a bite. ‘You’re having tests.’

‘We are.’

‘So if the tests are fine you might keep it.’

Sue cupped her hands around her mug. If the test are clear then we _will_ be keeping it.’

Amy swallowed a mouthful of food. ‘You hate kids! You said you didn’t want them!’

‘In the abstract, those are both true.’ Sue shrugged. ‘I’m unsure how to explain it to you when I can’t explain it to myself. There’s no logic to it.’

‘No fucking kidding.’ Amy rubbed her eyebrow. ‘And Kent’s on-board?’

‘Yes.’

‘How long do the tests take?’

Sue crossed her arms. ‘We’re going back for the results tonight.’

Amy shook her head. ‘If it doesn’t work out, you gonna try again?’

‘I would but I don’t think Kent would agree.’ Sue shrugged. ‘This would be the second time. I don’t think he would consider risking a third.’

‘Fuck.’ Amy gazed at her. ‘You okay?’

‘People keep asking me that.’

‘Because we have eyes. I heard what Tucker said. A cold asshole like Kent was devastated by it.’ Amy stood up.

‘He’s not cold,’ Sue said quietly. ‘People think that and they’re wrong.’

‘Is he okay?’ Amy asked.

‘He says he is,’ Sue said. ‘But he would.’

***

They waited in an office, surrounded by the bric-a-brac of someone else’s professional life, while Sue felt that she was disintegrating. She almost expected to raise her hand and see it crumble into dust. She didn’t look. She was staring at the seascape on the wall opposite. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Kent. It would have been kinder to have had the test without telling him. Kinder, and infinitely crueller.

They both startled when the door was suddenly opened. The woman that strode in was in her late thirties and was fashionably, but impractically dressed. A situation Sue had grown to associate with specialists and other medical practitioners far removed from the hoi polloi.

‘Good afternoon, Miss Wilson?’ she asked, sitting down. Her accent was English, although Sue couldn’t have pinpointed it more accurately.

‘Yes. This is my partner, Mr. Davison.’

‘Charmed, Doctor O’Hara.’ She opened the file she was holding. ‘First things first, the test was clear. Your baby doesn’t have the gene which is linked with-’

Sue reached for Kent’s hand but he was already half out of the door. She gripped the arms of the chair instead and tried to breathe normally.

‘That’s a new reaction. Is he alright?’ Doctor O’Hara asked.

‘He needs a moment.’ Sue reached for her plastic cup of water and took a sip. ‘I’m sure that he’ll return shortly.’

Doctor O’Hara interlaced her fingers. ‘Should we wait?’

‘No. It’ll only make him more self-conscious and embarrassed when he returns. Please continue.’

Doctor O’Hara nodded. ‘We did the usual tests and we saw nothing of concern at this time. However, there is some evidence that the rate of mutation in sperm increases with a man’s age. Some studies have linked this to an increased rated of autism in the children of fathers over the age of forty-five.’

Sue looked down at her water. ‘I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention that to him.’

‘I have a duty to inform,’ the doctor said quietly.

‘You have informed me,’ Sue said.

‘Yes, but…’

Sue looked her in the eye. ‘You have informed me, Doctor O’Hara. Should it become necessary to tell him then I will do so. I have done my homework and I am aware of the studies. Isn’t it also the case that there is _nothing_ we could do at this point?’

O’Hara nodded. ‘Yes, it’s far too early for any kind of tests. I’m only making you aware of the possibility, Miss Wilson, and really there are some extremely encouraging therapies available.’

‘Then I don’t see any benefit to telling him at this point.’ Sue smoothed her skirt. The odds were higher, her own research had said as much, but higher was not _high_ , at least not in her opinion. She saw little benefit to burdening him with that knowledge and with the attendant guilt.

‘Well, I appreciate that you have-’

Sue heard the door to the office open and Kent’s familiar step. He slid down into the chair next to her and touched her hand. Sue took his hand and squeezed his fingers. She didn’t look at him, it wasn’t necessary. She saw O’Hara stumble a little.

‘That is to say I appreciate that you’ve clearly done your research, Miss Wilson.’ O’Hara looked at them both. ‘Under these circumstances we usually ask if you would like a few days.’

Sue looked at Kent. He was a little paler than normal but composed. ‘Do we need a few days?’

He scanned her face. ‘I don’t think so, do we?’

Sue turned back to the doctor. ‘No. We’re ready. What do we do now?’


	3. Food Glorious Food

 

 

 

Sue thought that she was beginning to show. Kent disagreed.

‘It’s only because you’re expecting it,’ he said. ‘You have more of a tummy after a big meal.’

Tummy. That was one of the words he sometimes used that seemed completely incongruent. Her tummy. Only she had a tummy, everyone else had a stomach. It was a part of some specialised language he reserved for her.

Would the baby be born into this privileged dialect? Some people seemed incapable of talking to infants, about infants, without resorting to baby talk. Sue wasn’t sure she could cope with baby talk. With suspicious rhyme schemes and artificially softened words. That was not her.

She didn’t think it was him. Except that he said ‘tummy’.

‘You look pensive,’ he said.

They were sat out on the balcony, having a picnic as the sun went down.

‘I was thinking about language,’ she said.

‘Foreign languages?’

‘In a manner of speaking: baby talk. I don’t think I’ll be any good at it,’ Sue said.

Kent opened the jar of olives that she was struggling with, and then sliced some blue cheese. ‘I’m not sure it’s important.’

‘Language skills are very important.’

‘Sure, but I’d argue that learning Mandarin before the age of seven was much more useful in the long term.’

Sue had to think about that. ‘Learning Mandarin I understand. Why that time period?’

‘Human brains are most able to process language then,’ he said.

It was on the tip of her tongue to playfully accuse him of secret researching, but that was a potentially slippery slope. So instead she popped an olive into his mouth.

‘Do you speak any other languages?’ she asked.

‘Such as what?’

As answers went it was, she considered, damning by its calculated vagueness.

‘French, Latin, Klingon, Elvish.’

She was gratified to see the faint pink in his cheeks.

‘Not any more.’

‘Did you wipe them from your brain?’ Sue asked.

Kent gently knocked his foot against hers. ‘I went to college which likely had that general effect.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Mr. Davison, did you take illicit substances in college?’ she asked. It was an unexpected and potentially thrilling area of inquiry.

‘It was the seventies.’

‘Is that a yes?’

‘It’s certainly not a "no", let’s say.’

Sue took a sip of her pear juice. ‘What are we talking about here, pot?’

Kent shrugged and fussed with his cheese and sun blush tomatoes. ‘Sure.’

‘What else? Is this where you admit to be a secret junkie?’

It wasn’t a serious question. It was asked in a mock serious tone, because if she didn’t, then she would start laughing.

‘I never did anything like that. Just the regular stuff even boring students took.’ Kent shrugged. ‘Pot brownies. Did mushrooms once or twice. Nothing serious. You?’

Sue shook her head. ‘I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even drink. I worked every hour I was awake.’

‘That doesn’t sound much fun,’ Kent said mildly.

‘I was ambitious. I’ve always been ambitious. Ambitious African-American women do not go to college for fun. We work, we work ridiculously hard.’

She thought his look was a little closer to pity than compassion. But he kissed her gently and slid his hand under her skirt. So she forgave him.

It probably wasn’t very sensible, making love on the balcony. There was another building within frenzied blaspheming distance. But it was dark, and Sue wasn’t feeling very sensible. If she couldn’t drink, and she couldn’t enjoy a whole host of cheeses, then she felt she was owed good, naughty, sex.

Afterwards, Kent brought out a comforter and wrapped them both up. There was a meteor shower or a uniquely large moon or something. Sue had forgotten what it was.

‘We’re going to have to put some money aside for college,’ she said.

‘It’s done,’ he said. ‘A few days ago.’

Sue frowned. ‘You didn’t tell me.’

‘You have a lot on your mind.’

Sue elbowed him. ‘You just blamed me for you choosing not telling me something very important.’

He nodded slightly. ‘Too obvious?’

‘Yes. How much money have you put aside?’

He told her the lump sum and how much the account would eventually have. Sue looked at her glass.

‘Are you planning on sending our child to college on the moon?’

Kent shrugged. ‘If it had a sufficiently impressive academic record. Moon U sounds like it might be a party college.’

Sue allowed herself a small smile. ‘Now you’re being silly.’

He lent against her. ‘I like being silly with you.’

Sue turned and kissed him. ‘I like it too.’

***

It was weekend so, in the morning, they ate a disgustingly healthy breakfast and went to the museum. Sue had been uncertain at the risk of being seen together, but Kent had pointed out in a few months everyone would certainly know they were a couple.

So they strolled around the exhibits, occasionally touching their hands, and constantly forgetting not to stand so close together. They had arrived early and the rooms were mostly empty of other people.

‘When did you want to tell Charlie?’ she asked.

‘I can’t wait too long. She might hear it from someone else and that would be inexcusable. However she’s not going to be jumping at the chance to talk to me.’

Sue nodded. ‘What if I were to invite her out to dinner with us? You can tell her and the two of you can come to an understanding.’

He looked at her. ‘An understanding.’

‘Yes.’

‘We understand each other well enough.’

Sue felt her lips tighten. Mention of Charlie, or other women, did not make her feel possessive about his body, that was hers alone. But the acknowledgement that another woman still knew him well, and for longer than she had, made her feel distinctly territorial. ‘That isn’t what I meant,’ she said, severely.

Kent tickled her fingers. ‘Apologies.’

‘No need. What I mean is, you need to forgive yourself.’

He look at her askance. ‘I don’t need forgiving. She’s the one who cheated.’

‘You only pretend to blame Charlie so you can pretend you don’t blame yourself.’

He let go of her hand and walked across to one of the exhibits. ‘I don’t have any reason to blame myself.’

Sue sighed ‘Do we have to play this game? You forgave her for cheating. Just like you forgave Malcolm. You forgave her for stranding you in the Deep South. You defended her to me more than once. But seeing her reminds you of Matty, and your guilt makes you lash out at her.’ Sue stepped over to him and gently put her hand to his face. ‘You’re perfectly capable of being reasonable and rational about her. Just not with her. So either I’m right and you feel guilty, or you’re still in love with her. Which is it?’

Kent snorted but put his hand on her waist. ‘You my shrink now?’

‘Yes. That’ll be fifty dollars.’

‘You’re the only woman I’m in love with,’ he said.

Sue gave a small smile. ‘I know that.’

* * *

The newspapers were full of extremist terror cells and disasters. The presidential race had been pushed off the front page. They sat in a tiny, out of the way cafe, eating a cold collation and drinking strong coffee, while reading the papers. Their booth was in a corner, Sue could see most of the café, and be seen, but Kent couldn’t.

‘Does he actually have any policies?’ Sue asked.

‘It’s adorable you think that matters.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t make me kick you.’

‘You could spank me,’ he said, in a completely normal tone.

Sue looked over the newspaper she was reading. He was apparently engrossed in his phone. ‘Did you just ask me to spank you?’

‘Ask? No.’

Sue continued to look at him. She was by no means convinced that he was joking. ‘Given my condition, this would probably be a bad time to expand our repertoire.’

‘Given your condition, there will likely be a radical restriction of said repertoire. Or not without significant alterations.’

Sue winced. ‘You think my size will affect the logistics.’

He finally looked up. ‘Your health generally. The practical side can require some fine tuning and adjustments.’ He speared a piece of cold salmon with his fork. ‘Things will likely need to be more planned and less spontaneous, particularly to ensure that you’re satisfied.’

Sue crossed her legs. ‘Not you?’

‘Can be tricky, and you’ll have other concerns.’ Kent ate the salmon. ‘Your tides are rarer. Better to concentrate on those.’

‘Are you saying I won’t have a sex drive?’

He shook his head. ‘No, I’m saying by the later stages you’ll probably be exhausted, sore, fed up, and finding it almost impossible to touch your knees let alone your toes. You’ll have to go on top, which doesn’t help with the tiredness, and which will make pleasing you difficult.’

Sue listened to this litany in silence. ‘Some people enjoy being pregnant.’

‘I’m not saying otherwise. Merely that creativity may be necessary.’

‘Such as spanking.’

Kent shrugged. ‘You might have liked the idea.’

‘I didn’t say I disliked it.’

‘Inform your face.’

That time she did kick him, gently on the shin. ‘Has Ericson been back in touch?’ she asked.

‘No, but he will be,’ Kent said, rubbing his leg automatically.

‘Could we tell him something terrible about Dan? We wouldn’t even need to make something up.’

‘If we’re sabotaging co-workers I’d rather concentrate on Ben.’ Kent lifted up her feet and put them onto his knee. He slipped her shoes off and began massaging her feet.

‘He did promise to do what he could to ensure that you could make it appointments,’ she said.

Kent snorted. ‘You realise that his ideal way of doing that would be to have me fired.’

Sue stretched her arms. ‘Then we should terminate him with extreme prejudice.’

‘I like the sound of that.’

Sue sat back and watched him. ‘That feels good.’

Kent glanced at her. ‘I’m a little out of practice.’

‘Take the compliment,’ she said, wiggling her toes.

‘Copy that.’

Sue took a sip of her water. ‘Is this you moving into prospective father mode?’

‘Now I feel ridiculous,’ Kent grumbled.

She bent her legs as she leant forward and stroked the back of his hand. ‘Things are going to change. You’re more aware of that then I am. That’s all.’

‘You do all the heavy lifting.’ He shrugged. ‘All the medium and light lifting too. Basically you’re now a pack animal.’

‘Hilarious, Mr. Davison.’ Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘Jonah just walked in,’ she said, quickly pulling her feet back and sitting up straighter.

‘Is he coming this way?’ Kent asked, opening his menu and holding it up.

‘You know he is. Are you hiding?’

‘I would prefer to think of it as strategic camouflage,’ Kent muttered.

‘Sexy single Sue, how you… oh shit!’ Jonah screeched to a halt in front of the booth. ‘I had no idea you were there, Sir.’

Kent lowered the menu. ‘Evidently.’

‘Go away, Jonah,’ Sue said.

She saw him notice her shoes sat on the cushion next to Kent.

‘Okay, uh, I better run,’ Jonah said, backing away. ‘Good, uh, good talking to you.’

They waited until he had scrambled away. Then Sue reached over to pick up her shoes.

‘He saw those next to you,’ she remarked.

Kent shrugged. ‘They’re just shoes.’

‘And he is Jonah. By midday on Monday he’ll be telling people we have some weird shoe fetish going on.’  

Kent chuckled at that. ‘I’ve had far worse rumours circulated about me.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Such as?’

‘Hmm, let’s see, oh. That I was involved in Senator O’Callaghan’s disappearance. That’s an old one but a classic.’ He scratched his forehead. ‘I think possibly the most alarming one was that a cleaner once caught me in the stationery closet stark naked.’

‘Doing what?’ she asked.

‘ _Enjoying_ the stationery.’

She licked her lips. ‘Enjoying the stationery.’

‘Naked.’

She started to laugh, and covered her mouth. ‘I have never heard that rumour.’

Kent shook his head. ‘It was very popular for a while. There’s evidently something about me that encourages suggestions of overfamiliarity with office equipment.’

‘And yet you confessed to stealing graph paper,’ Sue said, shaking her head. ‘I dread to think what you did with that.’

Kent took a bite of food. ‘Don’t worry, I used hole reinforcements.’

She stared at him for several seconds. ‘How large were these holes?’

‘Why do you think they needed reinforcing?’

‘How did you just make stationery sound so _filthy_?’

‘It’s a knack.’

‘Have you heard any rumours about me?’ Sue asked.

His expression made it clear that he had and that he was weighing up exactly what to tell her.

‘The usual sort of things,’ he said.

Sue took a sip of her iced water. ‘Let me guess, I’m either too sexually unavailable, too sexually available, or a lesbian.’

Kent winced sympathetically. ‘Nobody has ever said any of those in my hearing.’

‘It happens all the time. Particularly to women in male dominated fields.’

He held up his hands. ‘You will not find me disputing you in the slightest.’ Kent leant forward on the table. ‘That I haven’t personally experienced something doesn’t mean I disbelieve it.’

‘I know that. Tell me the rumours.’

Kent shrugged. ‘That you eat interns who displease you.’

‘I only eat men who _please_ me,’ Sue said.

‘Oh, I know.’

Sue stood up. ‘Please excuse me, I have to go and vomit.’

‘Unfortunate juxtaposition.’

She kissed his cheek as she hurried past.

***

Sue wandered, not for the first time, if it would have been wiser to have invited Charlie to the apartment. But that might have seemed somehow like rubbing it in. As if they were saying, look at everything we have. Although she was quite sure that Charlie made a great deal more money than she did.

They had both been relieved when Charlie had said she was bringing her partner, for different reasons. Sue that Charlie would not feel ganged up on and Kent that neither of them would be responsible for soothing her. It was an odd thing to be contemplating, who was going to bolster and support her. Another thing nobody else would suspect of passing through his mind.

 

They arrived at the restaurant around ten minutes early, and were lead to the table. They settled down opposite each other, and Sue found herself watching the fish in the aquarium just behind him.

‘This will be a treat for you, dinner with three women,’ she teased.

‘I will be the envy of the restaurant,’ Kent said gravely.

‘It’s not too late for me to tell her.’

He shook his head as he spread the napkin over his lap. ‘My responsibility.’

Sue reached across to feel the silk of his shirt. ‘Red is a bold colour.’

Kent grunted. ‘I hope it’s a colour that hides wine stains if she throws a glass at me.’

Sue nodded. ‘Practical. Is that likely?’

‘Possible. She has an appalling temper.’ He frowned as he looked past her, and narrowed his eyes. ‘Oh dear lord.’

Sue turned in her seat and so heard, but didn’t see, him rise. Charlie was dressed in an ivory sheathe dress, pearls, and killer heels. Her companion was in a skin-tight, thigh high, plunging gold dress. Sue felt like pulling the girl aside and panting out that she was broadcasting her own insecurity. She _was_ a girl, she didn’t look much more than twenty-five.

Kent held out a chair for her, and then for Charlie. When he sat back down, next to Sophie, diagonally opposite Charlie, he immediately waved the waiter over.

‘I hope you don’t mind my bringing Sophie,’ Charlie said. ‘Sophie, this is my ex, Kent, and his lady friend, Sue.’

Kent grunted and Sue gave her a polite, but brief, smile.

‘Charming as ever I see, Kent,’ Charlie said dryly.

‘I make it a policy never to be charming to women wearing half as many clothes as my girlfriend,’ he said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Safer for everyone.’

Sophie snorted. ‘Don’t worry, your virtue is safe with me.’

Kent looked at her. ‘We work in politics, any virtue you find may be safely discarded.’

Charlie rolled her eyes at Sue. ‘Well at least they’ve hit it off.’

‘She has a thick skin, or fakes it well.’

‘She has five brothers.'

***

They were having their appetizers by the time that Kent and Sophie had finished rattling sabres. Sue easily understood Sophie’s aggressiveness, here was her current partner’s ex-lover. Long term partner no less. Kent’s was more complicated; the usual swift reply and refusal to yield of someone too used to workplace battles, but also perhaps a subtle jab at Charlie, or even a response to his own discomfort at the expanse of bare thigh and breasts so close to him.

‘Are you going to tell us why we’re here or do we guess?’ Charlie asked, sipping her wine.

Sue looked at Kent, who waited until Charlie put down the glass.

‘I’m not sure how to say it,’ he said, spreading his hands as he sought the words. ‘I wanted to tell you because it’s right you hear it from me.’ He reached across and took Sue’s hand. ‘Sue and I... we’re expecting a baby.’

Sitting next to Charlie, it was easier for Sue to see Sophie’s nonplussed expression, and Kent’s mounting anxiety, then it was to see the blood drain from Charlie’s face.

‘Oh,’ she said. ‘You’ve had...’ she turned to Sue. ‘You’ve... Everything is okay?’

‘It was an accident,’ Sue said, answering the unspoken question first. ‘But everything is fine.’

‘Aren’t you too old for getting pregnant by accident?’ Sophie asked.

Charlie stood, smiling politely, ‘I beg your pardon. Just need to visit the powder room.’

Before Sue even started to stand, Kent was shaking his head.

‘Too soon,’ he said, ‘she needs a few minutes to get it out of her system.’ He looked at the baffled Sophie. ‘And I’ll go.’

‘What’s going on?’ Sophie asked, as he strode away.

They were getting married and Charlie hadn’t told her. Sue shook her head, feeling a little better at his reluctance.

They lost a baby,’ she said. Let Charlie fill in the rest.

After a few minutes of sitting in awkward silence, she walked towards the restrooms. Sophie followed, the wooden heels of her shoes clacking as she walked.

Charlie was a few feet away from the rest room door. Kent was stood in front of her. They weren’t saying anything, just holding hands. Then he stepped forward to hug her. Sophie swore under her breath and marched away. Sue turned to follow her. She was possessive, not jealous. She knew nothing was at risk.

***

Aren’t you worried he’s going to drop off his perch any minute?’ Sophie asked viciously.

Sue sighed. ‘Don’t take your anger at Charlie out on me or Kent,’ she said. ‘They’ll be back any moment and she needs your support. Stop acting like a child.’

Sophie untied her hair and shook it out, long dark strands glinting in the candlelight. ‘I’d like kids but not yet. How you gonna do work and things?’

‘I’m not sure yet. We’ll work something out. We always do.’ Sue folded her hands ‘Is there glitter in your hair?’

Sophie blushed slightly as she smiled. ‘It’s for parties really.’

‘The glitter?’

‘The wig style. But this is full lace so it’ll stay on for ages.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘That’s a wig? It looks astonishing. May I ask where you got it?’

Sophie dug a card out of her purse. ‘You don’t need a wig.’

‘Not yet.’ Sue shook her hair. ‘The chemicals to relax my hair are extremely strong. I can’t risk them while I’m pregnant.’

‘That sucks. You can’t go natural?’

Sue paused as Kent and Charlie returned to their seats. He sat down and Sue slid her hand onto his knee.

Charlie was pale and she smiled at Sue too brightly. ‘I’m so sorry, I was unforgivably rude. Congratulations. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?’

‘Do we have a preference?’ Sue asked, looking at him.

Kent took a sip of his wine. ‘I would like a girl.’

'Why's that?' Charlie asked.

'I get on much better with women than men.' 

Sophie snorted. ‘Aren’t you supposed to say either is good?’

He shrugged. ‘Then why ask?’

‘It _is_ traditional,’ Charlie said, her look inviting Sue to an affectionate conspiracy. ‘But I suppose you’ll say that any tradition based on lies and deception is one that should be more honoured in the breach.’

‘You must be fun around Christmas,’ Sophie muttered.

Kent returned to his food. ‘I don’t see any necessity in telling children idiotic lies. It assuredly does nothing to build trust between children and parents.’

‘My mother never told me that Santa Claus was real,’ Sue said, crossing her legs. ‘I never felt any loss from it.’

Charlie sighed heavily. ‘Your poor little baby. There will be no mystery. What is a life without mystery?’

Kent tapped his fork on his plate. ‘There will be plenty of mystery.’

 ‘I’m intrigued,’ Charlie said. ‘Such as?’

He spread out his hands. ‘The disappearance of bees. The fact that the last of the milk always disappears without anyone admitting to using it. The way that Sue’s hair looks before she has it straightened. These are all some of the greatest mysteries of life.’

Sophie started laughing. ‘Bees!’

‘You are never going to see me with my natural hair,’ Sue said firmly. ‘Sophie has just given me the name of her wig maker.’

‘You want all human hair,’ Charlie said, she was still pale. ‘Expensive but worth it.’

Sophie nodded. ‘Cheap wigs are not worth looking at.’ She grinned at Kent. ‘You must feel like you’ve fallen into hell.’

‘Please. I grew up in the sixties and seventies. Even the men were wearing makeup and wigs,’ he said dryly.

Charlie giggled. ‘Oh my God, did your sisters dress your up and give you makeovers? I bet they did.’

Kent met Sue’s eye and she saw how amused he was. ‘No comment,’ he said.


	4. Polls and Polls

Sue spent several hours on Sunday morning, on her knees, in the bathroom. At about nine, Kent brought in a little plate of oat cakes spread with cashew butter and topped with sliced banana. It didn’t look very appetising but her stomach did begin to settle.

‘Would you like a coffee?’ he asked.

‘I would like to crawl back into bed and stay there for the rest of the day.’

Kent nodded. ‘Would you like some coffee while you’re in bed?’

‘No. Thank you.’

He joined her on the floor. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask, when you intend to tell your family.’

‘You’re asking me this now because?’

Kent shrugged. ‘I thought contemplating your mother might take your mind off things.’

Sue nibbled at her oatcakes. ‘I’m in no mind to discuss anything with my mother.’

‘Fair enough. I would like to tell _my_ family at some point. At least before we start sending out graduation announcements.’ He nudged her foot with his. ‘We’re past three months.’

‘I know, and I understand most people are in a rush to tell everyone.’ Sue closed her eyes as she lent her head back against the wall. ‘I’m not ready to tell anyone else. Sophie asked what we were going to do about work. I didn’t have an answer. I dislike like. I dislike it intensely.’ She opened her eyes and looked across at him. ‘When we have the answers then I will be happy to announce it.’

He nodded. ‘I’ve been giving that particular question some thought.’

Sue silently raised an eyebrow.

‘We have several options currently available; none of which are likely to be considered ideal.’ Kent ticked them off on his fingers. ‘One, we hire full-time childcare. Two, one or both of us reduces our hours and we hire part-time childcare. Three, you take a leave. Four, I take early retirement.’

‘Don’t do that,’ she said, so quickly that she was as surprised as he was. ‘Don’t take early retirement,’ she said, squeezing his other hand. ‘Your career is too important to you.’

He scanned her face. ‘So is yours, and I’ve peaked. But, I think there might be another alternative.’

‘Five?’  

‘Five, a day care facility at work,’ he suggested. ‘You could take a short leave and then when you’re ready to return we make use of it.’

Sue tilted her head. ‘There is no day care facility in the White House.’

‘There is no day care in the White House, _yet._ ’ Kent scratched his nose. ‘Selina is already emotionally invested in affordable childcare. Convincing someone who _wants_ to believe is half the battle. With the right kind of polls leaked to the press, and a carefully orchestrated campaign to build support for childcare, we could create enough of a consensus to persuade her of the value of day care in the White House.’

Sue blinked. ‘Are you suggesting that we create subjective polls and manufactured reports, leak them, in order to manipulate the perceptions of both the public and the press, therefore pressurising _the president of the united states_ into changing governmental policy, and creating day care in the Whitehouse, all in order to provide ourselves with onsite childcare?’

He shrugged, entirely at ease. ‘Finessing the perception of both the public and the press is the business of politics.’

Sue gazed at him. ‘I am genuinely taken aback.’

‘Disgusted?’

‘No. Never that. Surprised.’

Kent tapped his feet together. ‘It’s merely an option.’

‘Your preferred option,’ Sue said, shifting around to lean against him.

He took a breath, thinking about his reply. ‘It is a fact that women who take a leave to care for their children often find their career progression arrested if not irretrievably halted.’ He took her hand. ‘You’re ambitious and your career should have many years to come.’ Kent rubbed the back of her hand. ‘Do you want to be a full-time mother?’

‘No. I don’t believe that would be in anyone’s best interest.’ She watched his face for signs of disapproval.

Instead he simply nodded. ‘Although it’s perfectly viable financially I would prefer not to hire full-time child care.’

Sue nodded. ‘Agreed.’

‘So we can rule out the first, third, and fourth options. That leaves reducing our hours or the on-site day care,’ he said carefully.

‘But isn’t day care another kind of full-time childcare?

‘It’s one where we will both be able to visit through the day. We both know that Selina would leave any final details of implementation to anyone willing to do it. It would be simple for one or both of us to shape the specifics.’

Sue turned around, pulling up her legs underneath her. ‘I’m not ruling it out.’

‘But you’re not comfortable with it,’ Kent suggested.

‘I like the concept,’ Sue said. ‘I am uneasy at the work required to realise it.’

‘I don’t remember you having these reservations about retrieving the sex tapes.’

‘True. I never thought I would agree to do something like that. You are a terrible influence.’

He smiled slightly at that. ‘Apparently so.’

‘If I had been caught breaking into the apartment I would have cut a deal,’ Sue said. ‘I would not have been a martyr for Selina.’

‘We’re not talking about doing anything illegal,’ Kent promised. ‘We’re not talking about doing anything that isn’t done in politics every day.’

‘For political reasons. To secure a vote. To elect someone.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Not for purely personal reasons.’ She paused. ‘That was an incredibly naïve statement.’

Kent shrugged. ‘Far be it from me to say so.’

‘Your expression says otherwise.’

‘My face is a liar.’

Sue climbed to her feet and picked up her toothbrush. ‘Is it viable?’

‘Entirely.’

She looked at him. ‘You tell Selina that you can’t change the result of your polls.’

Kent stood up and lent back against the wall next to her. ‘There are polls and there are polls. The information that I give to Selina and that we use for policy decisions is the most accurate data that we can accrue. If it was biased then it would be worthless as a factor in decision making.’ He gently moved an eyelash from her cheek. ‘Corrupting data in a poll is far simpler that producing unbiased data. Corrupting it the way that you _want_ is a slightly different matter, but neither complicated nor difficult for someone who knows what they’re doing.’

‘Which you do.’ Sue carefully squeezed toothpaste onto the brush.

‘I do.’

Sue nodded. ‘I can’t create polls and I’m sure that I would be able to successfully leak reports or anything else.’

Kent folded his arms. ‘You control her diary. The first step is to get her thinking about workplace childcare. You can schedule some tame pro-childcare that can be relied on to raise the issue but in a non-confrontational way that won’t raise her hackles.’

‘When you said that you had given it some thought you were not exaggerating. I’m going to need a little time to think about this,’ Sue said.

He kissed her cheek. ‘Take it. I’m going to take a run. Do you want me to pick anything up while I’m out?’

‘No. Have a good run.’

***

Sue had almost forgotten about the promised visit to the NSA. Dan had not. Dan was far too enthusiastic about it. On Monday morning, when Sue came into work she found Dan parked in Kent’s office, blocking the door. She was rather surprised not to find a text from Kent about it. Dan made him uncomfortable. More to the point, Dan’s combination of admiration and puppyish desire for acknowledgement made him uncomfortable. Sue expected admiration, particularly from her partners, and accepted adoration as her due when it was offered. She didn’t _like_ Dan, but then Dan was fundamentally unlikeable. She didn’t believe that running to tell Selina about Ericsson’s visit had given him a moment’s pause for thought. He hadn’t the moral compass of an alligator. She found him vaguely disgusting, but he certainly didn’t make her uncomfortable. On the other hand she didn’t know anyone who shared Kent’s sympathy for Dan’s mental health issues.

She took a sip of her hazelnut cappuccino as she turned on her computer. She had been rather ambivalent about going to the NSA, leaving the office was not something often within her purview, and now less than previously. However turning down an express invitation from the NSA seemed at best impolite and at worst potentially provocative. She certainly had no desire to cause any kind of offense with the kind of people who worked in the NSA.

Selina had originally been quite underwhelmed by the idea, but the invitation to visit the NSA had inevitably lead to invitations to visit the CIA and the FBI, and she had become enamoured of the idea of positing herself as the candidate with the support of the security services. It at least had the benefit of distinguishing herself from both Danny Chung and Joe Thornhill. Let Chung have his one military story over and over and Thornhill his baseball analogy, Selina would be the candidate of the intelligence services. She had made too many jokes about James Bond for the team to be confident she wasn’t going to say or do something horribly embarrassing.

‘Morning Sue,’ Ben said, staggering into the room. The bags under his eyes had their own trunks and he was a little breathless, even stood still.

‘Good morning.’ Sue looked at him over the top of the monitor. ‘You look terrible.’

‘Thank you for your sweet words of succour.’ He opened a bottle of painkillers and popped two. ‘Maybe I can sleep in the car on the way to Fort Meade.’

‘Only if you manage to get into the secondary car. I doubt POTUS will be happy to have anyone snoring while she goes through her itinerary.’

Ben slumped down on the corner of the desk. ‘Are you going to be okay driving all that way? We’re not going to have to pull over for puke breaks are we?’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Your consideration is as impressive as ever. My morning sickness is beginning to wane. Now I am merely throwing up directly after food, and I ate before I arrived.’

Ben scratched at his scalp. ‘I wish I hadn’t asked.’

Sue took pity on him. ‘Kent has left coffee in the machine.’

‘I don’t need coffee, I need a whiskey,’ he grumbled, but he wandered over to the machine.

‘Kent would not ruin whiskey by pouring it into a coffee pot.’

Ben shook his head. ‘Hard to figure a guy like that drinking something other than antifreeze.’

Sue took another sip of coffee. ‘You remember that Kent and I are sleeping together.’

‘Doesn’t mean you like him. Hell, I didn’t like two of my three ex-wives. Pretty sure none of them liked me.’ Ben turned, clutching his huge mug of coffee, and saw her expression. ‘Aw hell, don’t look at me like that.’

‘How am I looking at you?’

Ben gulped a mouthful of coffee. ‘Like you can’t believe the shit coming out of my mouth.’

Sue looked at her monitor. ‘Your choice of words, not mine.’

Ben took another gulp of his coffee. ‘I’ve known him a long time you know.’

‘Really.’

She heard him shuffle across to her desk.

‘He couldn’t do better. You couldn’t do worse. That’s all I’m saying.’

Sue looked at him. ‘I couldn’t do worse. I couldn’t do worse than a man who values me, respects me, and supports me. I couldn’t do worse than a partner whom I find intellectually, philosophically, physically, and sexually compatible. You have extremely high standards, Ben.’

Ben licked his lips. ‘I’m just saying he’s a cold one. I know you feel you gotta put on this front like you’re made of steel, I get that. It’s rough for women in politics.’

‘You’re conflating the sexism in politics with my relationship with Kent.’ Sue patted his hand. ‘Knowing someone a long time is not the same as knowing them well. You’re not my father. I’m not a child. He’s not some bad boy I need protecting from.’

Ben snickered into his coffee. ‘That’s for damn sure.’

‘You concern is noted and appreciated.’ She crossed her legs. ‘Although I wonder if your efforts to protect me would be quite so strenuous if I were dating Dan or Jonah.’

‘If you moronic enough to date Dan or Jonah then you wouldn’t deserve it.’

***

Sue was still working on Selina’s diary, finding the correct pressure group to “prime” her was rather pleasing in its complexity. She had narrowed it down to a shortlist of fifteen possibilities. Time was an issue, she would like the ball to be in play before Selina learnt of her pregnancy. Nonetheless, she was happy enough to turn off her computer and accompany the others out to the official cars.

Gary of course went into the main car with Selina. As much as he disliked the idea of the NSA he certainly wasn’t willing to be separated from her. Dan and Amy squabbled their way into the car with her, leaving Ben to clamber into the second car with Sue and Kent.

Awkward. But Kent had no qualms about social awkwardness. He held the door open for Sue, climbed in after her, and forced Ben to walk around the other side.

‘Why do you dislike each other so much?’ Sue asked as Kent sat next to her.

‘I have no time for his melodrama, his aggressiveness, or his whining,’ Kent said crisply.

‘What’s that?’ Ben demanded, dropping into middle of the seat opposite them.

‘Or his increasing age-related deafness.’

Ben loosened his tie. ‘How is it that I’ve reached this point in my life and I still have to sit in the God damn second car?’

‘General ineptitude,’ Kent suggested. His hand had found Sue’s knee, she wasn’t sure if it was a subconscious movement or if he was flaunting their relationship. The possibility didn’t bother her nearly as much as she thought it should. Perhaps because it was the relationship and not _her_.

Sue noticed Ben noticing Kent’s hand. She noticed that Ben didn’t like it, at all.

‘So why the fuck are you in here then, huh?’ Ben demanded.

‘Because we chose to be here. Neither of us shares your belief that it’s more important to curry favour than to do good work.’ Kent crossed his legs.

‘You couldn’t curry favour with a Balti dish and a pound of rice,’ Ben retorted.

‘One of the joys of actually being capable and competent is that I have no need to do so.’  

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘I wish that you two would just kiss and get it over with.’

Kent merely snorted.

Ben rolled his eyes. ‘You’re a terrible fucking influence on her, you know that.’

‘I certainly hope so.’

***

Ben was still snoring when they arrived at Fort Meade. Sue contemplated shaking his shoulder but the pause in hostilities was surely worth the racket.

‘Am I that loud?’ Sue asked, as the car drew to a halt.

‘Hmm?’ Kent looked up from his cell. ‘Your volume is not the same as Ben’s.’

‘You’re saying that I’m louder.’

‘Considerably.’ Kent put his cell into his pocket. ‘However I’m sure Ben doesn’t look anywhere near as good naked.’

Sue elbowed him in the ribs. ‘Tell me that in five months’ time.’

‘I have to wait that long?’

The car parked and Kent opened the door. He held his hand out to Sue and helped her out of the car.

Sue smoothed down her dress as Selina bickered and squabbled with Gary as he tried to do something with her hair.

‘Where the fuck is Ben?’ she demanded. ‘Did you kick him out on the freeway?’

‘He’s working at peak efficiency,’ Kent said.

Selina narrowed her eyes and looked into the car. ‘Oh for fuck’s sake. Someone wake Ben up. Jesus, you two. Sue, if you wanna ride in the main car on the way back, Dan can ride with Statler and Waldorf.’ Selina snapped her fingers as Ben groggily climbed out of the car. ‘Come on people. Let’s go show these people who they’re working for.’

‘The American public?’ Ben muttered as he tried to do something with his tie.

‘Me,’ Selina said. ‘These people work for me, now, and I intend to make sure they never damn well forget it.’


	5. Spies, Lies, and BFGs

 

 

Dan was seriously irritating Sue. He was probably irritating everyone else, but she was more focussed on her own annoyance. He was throwing himself at Charlie, despite both the engagement ring on her finger, and the general disgust his flirting technique was arousing in everyone around.

‘I wish I’d stayed behind at the office with Mike,’ Ben grumbled.

‘Remind me to tell him how lucky he is to have avoided all… this,’ Amy said waving a hand at Dan.

‘I suppose that you’re aware that Joe Thornhill is visiting the Baltimore Washington,’ Charlie murmured to Kent as they walked.

‘Uh huh, he’s trying to distract attention from the President’s visit here.’

Charlie shook her head. ‘Politicians and hospitals, what is the attraction?’

‘Suggests compassion,’ Kent said.

Amy, overhearing the conversation, snorted. ‘Sexist fuckers figure that they need to play catch up since she’s a woman.’

‘And women are always much more compassionate than men,’ Sue said dryly.

Kent shrugged. ‘The perception in politics is that they are. Sexist conceptions about politicians works both ways. Everyone takes advantage of it as best as they can.’

‘Oh, honey, you did not just say that sexism in politics is as bad for men,’ Charlie said, shaking her head.

He gave her a dark look. ‘You know that is _not_ what I’m saying.’

‘Touchy,’ she said lightly, and winked at Sue.

***

They came to a halt in front of some doors.

‘Now, past these doors is classified top secret,’ Charlie said. ‘I’m going to have to ask you all to put your cells in this basket and get them when you come back out.’

‘Oh, that is _not_ happening,’ Amy said. ‘I go nowhere without my cell.’

‘We’re the National Security Agency,’ Charlie said. ‘If anything important happens I promise you’ll be told.’

Selina whistled. ‘Not sure we’re really comfortable with the NSA deciding what’s important for the _President_ to be told.’

Charlie smiled sweetly. ‘I don’t believe that I’ve steered you wrong yet, have I Madam President?’

‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ Ben muttered. ‘Kent still has NSA clearance, right? He can take in his phone. Then everyone’s happy.’

The expression Dan turned on Kent made Sue feel faintly ill. Gary on the other hand looked at Kent as if he had suddenly turned into a giant cobra.

* * *

‘Just how high is your clearance?’ Sue whispered to him.

Charlie was showing some software that could track phone, email, text, or chat conversations for key phrases.

‘I could tell you,’ he said. ‘But then I’d have to neutralise you.’

She touched the back of his wrist with her fingers. ‘Not kill?’

Kent grunted. ‘Neutralise is more fun. So many more options.’

Sue allowed herself a tiny smirk. ‘Restraints?’

‘If required.’ His voice was barely above a growl.

It made her shiver a little, it was a pleasant sensation.

‘What if I had to neutralise you?’ she whispered into his ear. He turned his head slightly and she saw a tiny flush in his cheeks.

‘Then I would be entirely at your mercy.’

His cell vibrated. He checked it, grunted, and showed it to Sue. She read the message and raised her eyebrows.

‘Charlie is stood right next to Selina. How is she texting you?’

‘She’s a technomage.’

‘At least you didn’t say she’s a witch,’ Sue remarked.

Kent raised his eyebrows. ‘Perish the thought. So, are we, as she suggests, sick of Dan and would we enjoy “some mild embarrassment” being arranged for him.’

‘Yes, to both.’ Sue brushed a lock of hair between her ear. ‘I reserve the right to arrange further embarrassment as I see fit.’

‘Warm up revenge it is.’

When they reached the training booths, Gary practically ran screaming.

‘This is why you didn’t want us to have cell phones, because you have torture chambers!’ Gary hissed.

Selina rolled her eyes. ‘In the middle of Maryland, Gary?’

Charlie gave a reassuring smile. ‘We don’t torture people, honey, you’re thinking of the CIA.’

Gary narrowed his eyes. ‘Then what are those?’

‘They look like firing squad rooms for the world’s laziest spies,’ Ben said.

Charlie’s smile hardened slightly. ‘What an imagination you have, Ben!’ she swept her hair back from her face. ‘These are training booths to help our analysts learn to concentrate. To block at extraneous noise. That’s mostly what we do here: listen and think.’ She touched Dan’s arm. ‘Would you like to try it? You seem like a man willing to try things that’re new and exciting.’

Sue noticed Kent tense. It was just an empty room with a stool. It didn’t look particularly harrowing.

‘Sure,’ Dan said, puffing out his chest. ‘I’m willing to do almost anything, especially if it helps my country.’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Charlie said. ‘We’ve got three booths. Anyone else want to play? Ben, what about you?’

‘There is no fucking way I’m going in there,’ Ben said.

‘I’ll go,’ Amy said. ‘I wouldn’t want Dan stuck being all patriotic on his own.’

Ben folded his arms. ‘What about you, Kent, show the children how it’s done.’

Sue expected him to decline but instead he shook his head.

‘Fine, Ben, far be for me not to show up your cowardice.’

Charlie was smirking, and she continued smirking when she met Sue’s eye. That was something of a relief. She obviously expected Sue to be reasonably happy with the outcome.

Charlie led them around to the doors and let them into the booths. She clapped her hands as she returned.

‘I hope they’re not going to take their clothes off,’ Selina said. ‘There is nobody in there I wanna see naked.

‘There’s nobody out here I wish to see naked,’ Sue said crisply.

‘Hey!’ Gary whined. ‘I don’t think that’s very nice to anyone. _Some_ of us are extremely attractive.’

Selina gave him a look.  

Ben levered himself into a chair. ‘I don’t think my ego can take being considered less good-looking than Kent.’

Sue frowned. ‘Ben, it is clearly evident that I find him more desirable than you in every possible manner and particular. I don’t believe I am alone in this perspective.’

‘He’s a lot better dressed,’ Gary said helpfully.

Ben glared at him. ‘Thanks for your support, Gary, I won’t forget it.’

‘Just saying,’ Gary mumbled.

Selina patted his shoulder.

‘Honey, there ain’t no point getting mad at us about reality,’ Charlie said. ‘And if nothing else, Kent can’t be more than three-quarters of your weight.’

‘At most,’ Selina said. ‘No offense, Ben.’

In the booths, Dan and Amy were sat on the stools while putting on headsets. Kent, however, had opted to move the stool to one side and sit on the floor.

‘He’s cheating,’ Gary said at once.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to play?’ Charlie asked sweetly.

‘Never mind,’ Gary said quickly. ‘I’ll shut up.’

Charlie walked over to a bank of instruments and flipped several switches before punching in some codes. ‘As I’ve explained to our _brave_ volunteers there is going to be a voice repeating a series of numbers. Just six numbers. All they have to do is concentrate on the voice and remember the numbers.’

Ben waved his hand. ‘What’re you doing with the headsets?’

Charlie folded her hands together. ‘It wouldn’t be much of a concentration test without a little something to distract them would it?’

Sue found her attention drawn by a movement: Dan flailing his arms at something unseen. Amy was gripping the seat of her stool. Sue nodded in appreciation at Amy’s sensible response, the way that Dan is shifting around he’s going to fall off his… ah. That is why Kent eschewed the stool in favour of sitting on the floor.

‘Why do I get the feeling that Kent has done this before?’ Selina asked.

‘Is Kent an NSA spy?’ Gary asked in a hushed voiced.

‘Oh honey, we don’t do human intelligence gathering so much,’ Charlie said. ‘We’re more software. You’re probably thinking of the CIA again, or maybe the FBI.’

Sue tensed as Amy slid backwards. Another few inches and she would slide right off the seat.

‘So this is some hazing shit?’ Ben asked. ‘You’ve got no reason for those stools besides hoping they fall on their asses.’

Charlie blinked big doe eyes at him. ‘Ben, I’m surprised at you! We don’t haze our agents. Balance is simply something else fighting for their attention.’ She inclined her head. ‘Sure you don’t want a little try yourself?’

Before Ben could answer, Dan threw himself to the right and his stool stood, for a moment on two legs. For a moment, and then his weight slipped, and the stool slipped, and all went tumbling down.

***

Amy was far smugger about Dan’s disastrous ‘training’ that Sue felt was entirely deserved. She had barely managed to avoid falling off herself, and actually succeeded in remembering fewer numbers in the sequence. Still, Sue was in little mood to defend Dan. Not that she ever had been, frankly.

They were admiring the art in the library, which was entirely Sue’s ideal of a library. It was quiet, naturally, with dark wooden shelves, heavy oak tables, and dark red leather sofas. She could easily see herself spending happy hours in a place like that.

As Selina admired a huge portrait, and Ben rested on one of the sofas, Sue saw Charlie drawing Amy off to one side. Amy folded her arms tightly as Charlie made some speech, an apology perhaps? Charlie was doing the doe eyes and the gentle touch on Amy’s arm. Sue had heard both Ben and Kent discussing the sundry techniques used by various politicians to manipulate their audiences. She wasn’t surprised at the cynicism but it did make her a little more suspicious of the way she saw any politician interacting.

Case in point, Amy had now relaxed to the point where she actually smiling. Then Dan dragged her off. Sue turned her attention to the bookcases nearby. A whole host of art books, some of them with absolutely stunning reproductions.

‘We do have a fiction section,’ Charlie whispered to Sue.

‘I am in lust with your library,’ Sue admitted, managing not to jump.

‘A lit lover, my kind of girl.’ Charlie winked and then moved to gently prompt Selina on to the next stage of the tour.

Sue turned around as she heard the familiar jingle of Kent’s keys as he returned from taking a call. His hand rested momentarily in the small of her back and she wondered once more how consciously or subconsciously it was done. Charlie was looking in their direction as was Ben. He couldn’t be jealous of Ben. That would make no sense, especially now.

After the library, they were ushered past a number of facilities. The more apparently normal they were the more Gary squawked. He tutted and shook his head at the canteen but almost turned puce at the sight of the day care. The day care facility which Charlie chose to stop at and talk about in great detail.

Sue frowned. She heard Kent make a small noise, something between a growl and a groan. Sue narrowed her eyes as they watched Charlie giving Selina statistics about improved parental engagement with day care on site. Suspiciously detailed statistics. Sue gave Kent a questioning look and he took a few steps back. Sue joined him.

‘Why is she singing the praises onsite childcare?’ Sue asked softly.

‘I have an unpleasant sensation of having my mind read,’ he muttered.

‘Were you intending to use the facility when Charlie was pregnant?’

Kent shook his head. ‘She planned to take a career break.’

‘She seems an unlikely stay at home, mom,’ Sue observed.

Kent shrugged. ‘She loves kids. She’d have had ten if she could.’

‘Why didn’t she?’ An unpleasant sensation prickled in her stomach.

‘She couldn’t stay on her meds while she was pregnant or while breastfeeding.’ Kent noted her expression. ‘Did you honestly think that I had forced her to be childless?’

‘Hardly. Although she wouldn’t be the first woman to suppress her own desire to please a man.’ Sue touched the back of his hand in silent apology.

Kent shook his head. ‘She had to come off while she was pregnant, which raised its own difficulties, and it also meant she had to take a leave from the agency. They’re fairly reasonable about mental health issues but they do insist that employees have their conditions under control.’

Sue nodded. ‘Given the work they do here that seems sensible.’

‘It was certainly no easy decision but months, perhaps two years or more, of severe illness seemed an extremely high price to pay.’

Sue nodded, watching Selina playing with someone’s toddler ‘If you hadn’t wanted this child and I had, what would you have done?’ she asked very quietly.

‘What kind of a question is that?’

‘An honest one.’ She glanced at him but he was staring straight ahead.

‘I’d walk over broken glass for you,’ he said. ‘You know that. If you wanted the baby then I would want it.’

Sue opened her mouth but found she had no idea what to say.

* * *

They had lunch in the cafeteria, which was rather nicer than their own. Gary was gabbling on the cell to Mike at high speed about the press response to some handbag Selina matched, or miss matched, with a pair of shoes.

‘I know women who obsess less over shoes and accessories than Gary,’ Amy said, taking a huge bite of a burger.

‘I know drag queens who worry less about accessories than Gary,’ Dan sniggered.

‘Which ones?’ Kent asked.

‘Well, I didn’t mean I literally knew them.’ Dan was talking a little too quickly.

If Sue didn’t he was incapable of it, she would have guessed he was embarrassed.

‘Just, you know,’ Dan said.

Kent frowned. ‘Do you have a problem with non-standard gender expressions, Mr. Egan?’

‘I don’t know what that means.’

‘It means do you have a problem with women who don’t parade around in pink dresses and high heels or men who don’t live in suits,’ Ben said. ‘You know, like in the fifties.’

Amy caught Sue’s eye. ‘By that definition I never met a real woman in my fucking life.’

‘Pink is generally overrated,’ Sue agreed. ‘I prefer red.’

‘I don’t wanna know what you’re talking about.’ Selina said. ‘What’re you talking about?’

‘Gender stereotypes,’ Dan said. ‘Although we started off with Gary and drag queens and I don’t know what the hell happened.

‘I seem to remember Candi always being terribly feminine and delicate,’ Charlie said.  

Kent pretended to look away while Ben spoke up.

‘Yeah, yeah, bring up Candi. Gotta make sure everyone knows that Cafferty can’t tell his ass from his elbow.’

Kent fixed his eyes on his plate. ‘She was always out of your league, Ben.’

‘Says the man shacked up with a woman half his age,’ Ben retorted.

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘My goodness, Mr. Davison. I shudder to think where you are keeping this twenty-eight year old.’

‘Under the bed.’ Kent said, ‘where Ben keeps all his partners. Although his tend to be inflatable.’

Selina shook her head. ‘You known these two awhile?’ she asked Charlie.

‘Long enough.’

‘You ever feel like throwing them in the day care with the kids?’

‘Not really,’ Charlie said, ‘I like children. That would be kinda mean.’

Selina snorted a laugh. ‘That’s for damn sure.’

‘You never wanted any little spies of your own?’ Dan asked.

 Sue dimly heard Ben mutter, ‘oh fuck.’

But Charlie smiled graciously. ‘I did have a son, actually, but he wanted to work in politics, so I traded him to the CIA for some batteries and loose change.’

Cute, Sue thought, and neatly done. Also neatly done, Kent’s foot brushing against her calf. She gave him a playful glower which he returned with a hint of a smirk.

***

Last on the tour was the "James Bond shit" which Dan was so excited about, and Selena – to general dismay. Dan ran about with a large directional microphone shoulder mounted, as if it were a bazooka.

‘Thank God they don’t have a shooting range,’ Ben said.

‘It’s downstairs,’ Kent said, watching Dan distastefully.

‘Would they let us shoot?’ Sue asked.

‘You’re not serious?’ Ben asked, leaning against the wall. ‘Who the fuck wants to do that?’

Amy, arms tightly folded, shrugged. ‘I could shoot holes in something vaguely man-shaped and pretend it was Dan.’

‘Lay on, MacDuff,’ Sue said to Kent.

She wasn’t sure why Ben elected to come with them. He certainly didn’t seem remotely enthusiastic about it. He slumped into a chair as Kent found them ear defenders and safety glasses before taking them to the quartermaster.

‘I gotta admit I like the idea of sneaking around the NSA,’ Amy said a little sheepishly. ‘But not in a Dan, asshole, excited way.’

‘They’re together now?’ Kent asked as Amy positioned herself in front of the target.

‘I don’t know when that resumed,’ Sue said, ‘but it will end badly.’

‘Hmm. Soon as a prospect arrives that might improve his chances he’ll dump her.’

Sue nodded. ‘Exactly.’ She weighed the gun in her hands. ‘I have no idea how to use this.’

‘Hmm, when you eventually murder me you’ll have to use your bare hands,’ he mused.

Sue gave him a look. ‘Show me how to shoot.’

‘What makes you think I know?’

‘You told me. Now show me, please.’

The gun was heavier than she expected and smelled faintly of oil. Kent stood slightly behind her as he showed her how to hold it.

‘There are several different stances. This is the one I was taught,’ he said.

‘By Kurt, the crazy gun nut?’ she asked, deliberately a little provocative.

Kent grunted. ‘He takes gun safety very seriously.’ He narrowed his eyes at her. ‘So pay attention, Miss Wilson.’

Sue let herself lean back against him. ‘Easy to say when you’re not the one with their lover’s hand on their waist.’

‘Am I distracting you, Miss Wilson?’ he growled in her ear.

Sue shivered pleasantly. ‘In the best possible way, Mr. Davison.’

He bit her ear. She nearly dropped the gun.

‘Aim at the target and gently squeeze the trigger,’ Kent said, calmly. ‘No rough stuff.’

Sue raised an eyebrow and pulled the trigger. The gunshot was loud, and the retort did give her a slight jolt, but nothing of the exhalation Selina reported.

Sue was a just a shade disappointed.

***

Selina was furious that they had ‘run off to play John Fucking Wayne.’ Sue suspected she was merely feeling left out. Certainly Charlie seemed not to share Selina’s claimed concerns about possible security breaches. If anything she seemed amused.

Selina was still sulking when they headed to the car, and she swept into the primary car with Dan, who was only slightly less annoyed, and Amy who was still trying to apologise.

‘Looks like you’re stuck with the old guys again,’ Ben said, absently rubbing his arm.

‘It never occurs to her that this is my preference,’ Sue said as Kent helped her into the car.

‘It wouldn’t be Selina’,’ Kent said mildly.

As the car accelerated, Ben crashed back against the seat.

‘I thought we were never going to leave,’ he said loosening his tie.

‘What’s wrong with your arm?’ Kent asked.

‘Nothing.’ Ben moved it uncomfortably and then rubbed his chest. ‘I need something to eat is all, low blood sugar.’

Sue opened her bag, looking for a protein bar or some chips.

‘You feel dizzy?’ she heard Kent ask.

‘Yeah, shit. I’m having a fucking... a fucking panic attack or something.’

He was wheezing and seemed to be struggling to catch his breath. Sue heard Kent telling the driver to head to the nearest hospital.

She looked up, Ben looked terrible. Sweat was prickling across his face and he looked confused, and increasing dazed.

‘Do you have any medication?’ she asked urgently.

‘What?’ he asked. His eyes were glazing over. ‘No, I don’t have any...’

He slid with slow and gentle inevitability, half off the seat.

Sue saw Kent grow pale. He grunted with the effort of pulling Ben flat onto the seat. Sue pulled Ben’s head back and up, put her ear to Ben’s mouth, and watched his chest, waiting for the rise and fall. It didn’t come. ‘He’s not breathing,’ she said.


	6. 30:2

 

‘Do you know CPR?’ Kent asked.

‘Yes, but you’ll have to do it, pull him down onto the floor.’

Kent’s gaze slid to her belly as he hooked her hands under Ben’s armpits. Sue shook her head as she took Ben’s feet.

‘I could for you or Dan, but I don’t have the upper body strength for Ben.’ As they laid him on the floor they swapped positions, then Sue checked his breathing again and that nothing was blocking his throat. ‘Put your hands on his chest here, like this, press down hard.’

‘I don’t think I can do this,’ Kent muttered as he straddled Ben. ‘How fast?’

‘Do it to the tune of “Staying Alive”, and harder, Kent. Every thirty stop and I’ll give breaths.’

Kent glanced at her. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’

‘Stop.’ Sue checked Ben’s breathing and gave him two rescue breaths. ‘Okay, carry on. You’re doing fine.’

***

Kent was beginning to flag. Sue took over for two sets but it was obvious to both of them that she wasn’t able to provide the same force.

‘What if I was doing it too hard?’

‘If he has broken ribs we did it just right.’

Kent took off his jacket and resumed compressions. ‘Just because he’s useless doesn’t mean I want to kill him.’

‘He’s already dead. Do this and he has a very small chance. Don’t then he has no chance.’

Kent grunted, he was slightly out of breath. ‘No pressure then.’

Sue squeezed his shoulder. ‘If it helps, imagine how annoyed he’ll be to find out you saved his life.’

‘All this effort and he better be.’

There was a rattle as the driver pushed back the connecting window. ‘Pulling up now, they’re expecting us.’

Sue glanced up and saw the sign. The name dimly rang a bell with Sue but she was far too distracted to place it. She was checking Ben’s breathing when the car slewed to a stop and the doors were yanked open.

 

***

After the chaos of arriving to a dozen nurses and doctors, crashing through Thornhill’s press conference, and being dragged off to answer a mountain of questions, it was a relief to be sat quietly waiting for an x-ray.

Kent had damaged his wrist, apparently quite a common injury after performing CPR. It was swollen, bruised, and tender but after performing almost twenty minutes of CPR he was complaining more of tiredness than of pain in his wrist. When they had sat down to wait for the x-ray he had rested his head on her shoulder. By the time the first reporter scuttled into the waiting room, he was lay with his head in her lap. She closed her eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. The thickness really was ridiculous, what on earth must it have been like twenty years ago? Twenty years ago he would have been thirty-eight. In another twenty years he would be seventy-eight. It seemed as though Ben would be lucky to make another twenty days. But Ben was nothing like Kent; Ben ate badly, he drank copiously, he smoked, and he didn’t seem to take any exercise. It was a different situation. Surely it was a different situation.

Sue untied her hair. She could hear his breathing slowing. They were in the middle of a hospital and they were both about to fall asleep. She couldn’t imagine it happening at any other time or under any other circumstances. Panic, exhaustion, confusion, and simple stress had formed a perfect storm. Neither of them had the energy or the engagement to worry about falling asleep in public, let alone their position when they did.

Sue was woken by someone shaking her shoulder. Judging by the expression on her face Sue assumed that she had been snoring. Since the other people in the room were either moaning quietly in pain or staring blankly ahead, she struggled to feel too terrible about it. She woke Kent up and sent him off for his x-ray. She checked her cell and immediately wished that she hadn’t. Over in the corner of the room a battered television was bolted the wall. It was tuned to the local news but the sound was muted. Sue rubbed her eyes as she walked over to the television. They were showing a clip of Thornhill’s press conference being interrupted by the medical team shoving them out of the way just as the secondary car mounted the sidewalk. Ben being dragged out on a gurney with Sue and Kent still providing CPR was simply the icing on the cake.

If she’d known she was going to be filmed then she’d have worn a different lipstick, one that popped, and a much more stylish outfit. Now she was going to have her mother and the rest of the family critiquing her workplace fashion choices as well as her casual ones. Ben looked appalling. Sue hoped for the sake of any family he might have that his last public appearance wasn’t flopping around on a barely stable gurney like a beached whale.

‘Sue, honey, you okay?’

She supposed it wasn’t that surprising that Charlie would turn up, they were still in her backyard. She was surprised that the other woman had changed into what Sue _thought_ was a rugby shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans. Charlie was holding a little holder with six take-out cups in it.

‘I’ve had better days.’

‘Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?’ Charlie said.

‘Hot chocolate,’ Sue said.

Charlie handed one of the cups over and sat down. ‘Well, ain’t this a kick in the ass.’

‘Oh?’ Sue sat down and took the lid off her cup.

‘Here we are again in a hospital, only this time you’re fine and he’s the one with the smashed up hand.’ Charlie took a sip of her coffee. ‘You know that your driver went home? Apparently he got bored of waiting.’

‘I did not know that,’ Sue said coldly. ‘He will not be a driver in our employ tomorrow.’

Charlie nodded. ‘You’ll be needing transport home. We have a dinky little helicopter up on the helipad and you’re more than welcome to have the pilot fly you back to the city. There’s a pad not too far from your apartment. You’re living with Kent now, right?’

Sue nodded. ‘That is very kind.’

‘What’re friends for?’

‘An excellent question.’ Sue crossed her legs. ‘Are they for strange conversations about childcare with your friends’ boss?’

She wrinkled up her nose. ‘Too obvious?’

‘Wildly so.’ Sue ran her thumb around the lip of the cup. ‘Was that your intention?’

‘The squirming was entertaining, but no. Hand on heart I did mean to be helpful in my own little way.’ Charlie took a sip of her coffee. ‘I was on the periphery of enough campaigns to know how they start. Do you have pressure groups coming in?’

‘One later in the week and another next week. They were chosen with great care.’

‘It was kindly meant.’ Charlie smirked slightly. She gently nudged Sue with her elbow. ‘You need to embrace a little chaos, honey. Not everything can be planned and designed to perfection.’

‘I am pregnant, despite considerable steps to prevent it. I work for the president whom you have met. I have just watched a colleague have a massive heart attack. I assure you there is a sufficient amount of chaos in my life.’ She untied her hair and ran her fingers through it. ‘What made you assume that we would like to use workplace day care?’

Charlie warmed her hands around her cup. ‘It was a guess, and I figured if I was wrong then nothing was lost. Kent isn’t in favour of nannies or the like and you’d go insane being at home all day.’

‘He suggested taking early retirement,’ Sue said.

Charlie’s eyes widened. ‘Kent retire?’

‘I declined the suggestion,’ Sue agreed. ‘It was well intentioned, nonetheless I think that it would not be in either his best interests or the child’s.’

Charlie finished her drink and started another. ‘So can I babysit?’

Sue laughed. ‘Thank you. I needed that.’

‘Is that a no?’

‘Certainly not. Sue finished her drink. ‘There will be no escape.’

Charlie nodded. ‘I promise to be embarrassingly gushy about the whole thing.’ She rolled her cup in her hands. ‘Your little one is going to need someone to be soppy.’

Sue turned when she heard the door swing open. ‘It certainly won’t be either of us.’

Kent walked into the room. His wrist was wrapped in a compression bandage and he was holding it up against his chest.

‘Brought coffee,’ Charlie said, waggling the cups.

‘Good.’

‘Is it broken?’ Sue asked, standing and walking over. She kissed his cheek.

Kent shook his head. His expression was strained. Sue realised he was embarrassed although she wasn’t sure exactly to the cause.

‘Just sprained. Nothing.’

‘Injured in the line of duty, Mr. Davison,’ Sue said, patting his shoulder. ‘Charlie says that we can use the NSA helicopter to get back to DC.’

‘Good.’ He said, and then seemed to realise that something more was required. 

Charlie stood up and handed him a cup. ‘You’re on tea, soldier.’

Kent looked at the cup and sighed. ‘I can’t open this.’

Sue handed her cup to Charlie and removed the lid of his cup. ‘Did they tell you to rest it?’

‘For a couple of days but they’ve given me some exercises.’

***

It was late when they got home although not as late as if they’d driven. Sue took off her shoes and clenched her toes in the carpet. Kent unzipped her dress without her asking and wandered off into the bedroom. Sue hung up her coat and turned on the coffee machine before she followed him. He was sat on the bed, struggling with his cufflinks.

‘Here,’ Sue said. ‘Let me take of you for once.’

An odd shadow passed across his face. He seemed strangely small, almost shrunken, as he submitted his sleeves. ‘You were amazing today,’ he said in a low voice. ‘If you hadn’t been there...’

‘You would be the undisputed king of the office.’ It didn’t make him smile or even stir some ironic amusement.

‘I would’ve watched him die.’ Kent shook his head. ‘Hopeless panic is not an emotional state for which I have any fondness.’

Sue put his cufflinks in the box and unbuttoned his collar.

‘It wasn’t hopeless and you didn’t panic.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘I have seen you panic and that wasn’t it.’

He put his good hand on her waist. ‘You okay?’

‘Shaken,’ she said, ‘bit not stirred.’

‘Apt.’

‘I thought so.’ She continued unbuttoning his shirt. ‘You were as necessary as I was. He was lucky you were there.’

‘I doubt he’d see it that way.’

‘Then he’s an idiot. Why didn’t the NSA teach you CPR?’

Kent shrugged. ‘I wasn’t out breaking into embassies. I sat in a room with a group of other youngish guys. Nobody thought heart attacks were very likely.’

‘You should learn.’

‘I should.’

Sue removed his tie. ‘If only in case something happens to the baby.’

He cringed. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever seen a person in real life ever do that before.

‘I’ll find somewhere that teaches first aid for infants.’ He saw her expression. ‘Don’t be facetious. You know what I mean.’

* * *

Sue got up early to answer her texts and emails. As she read them she put on the news. Someone in the media had realised they were in a motorcade vehicle but not that it was the secondary. Speculation that Selina had been in the car with them had kept the story fresh and on the national news. She had been identified quickly, as had poor Ben - who had been subject to a whole slew of rude remarks about his health, weight, and three divorces. But not his clothes, only Sue was subjected to comments about that.

‘Why are you watching that?’ Kent asked. He was dressed for work, more or less. His buttons were still defeating him.

‘They all need to die and it will be more satisfying knowing what crimes against logic and good sense that they committed.’ Sue stood and buttoned up his shirt. ‘Coffee?’

‘Please.’

She heard him grunt as she made the coffee. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Mike’s giving a statement. He looks like they dragged him out of a drunk tank.’

Sue nodded to herself, she’d already seen it. Mike had been shoved in front of an impromptu press conference shortly after the news broke. It was classic nonsense. He didn’t have any actual information but he had to be thrown on air to say that as soon as possible.

She joined Kent on the couch. He was frowning slightly as he checked the other channels.

‘Selina is going to throw a fit,’ he said.

‘Enlighten me.’

He looked at her. ‘Every news channel is running this story. It isn’t leading but it’s there, you’re there, and her visit to Fort Meade has fallen away like a diseased tree, along with Thornhill’s visit to the hospital. She was annoyed enough with the publicity you got after the "robust" nonsense, and this is worse.’

‘You heard about that?’

He sipped his coffee. ‘You know she chose the date we went in for the hostages specifically to torpedo your second appearance?’

‘Amy told me.’ She nodded at the screen. ‘You’re there too, and Ben.’

‘They don’t know who I am, my face is obscured by my hair, thank God, and Ben looks like hell. Not even she could...’ He reconsidered. ‘Actually she could get pissed that his heart attack spiked her visit.’

Sue shifted position, turning sideways, and putting her legs across his lap. ‘Why thank god?’

‘What?’

‘Why are you thankful your face is concealed?’

His expression was a poem of "isn’t it obvious "and ‘I can’t believe you’re asking."

‘I don’t _do_ publicity,’ he said. ‘I already spoke to Mike: he’s not giving out my name.’

Sue allowed herself a smile. ‘Kent, there is footage of you astride Ben giving him chest compressions. It’s a ludicrously dramatic image. Someone _will_ identify you.’

He waved his hand. ‘It won’t be confirmed by the White House. The press will move on and forget all about it.’ He gently moved her legs and stood up.

‘You’re not going to the gym in your suit.’

‘I’m going to McDonald’s,’ he said. He registered her expression. ‘Free Wi-Fi.’

Sue shook her head. ‘No. start again. Make sense.’

‘I’m going to leak some of the polls as we discussed. I can’t do it here as the ISP would lead right back to me. So I’m going to a McDonald’s. They have free Wi-Fi so tracing the ISP will prove nothing.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re doing that now?’

He pinched his finger and thumb together. ‘This is the perfect time. In the snowstorm of Ben’s heart attack nobody will even notice. Tomorrow I’ll go to a Fox News board and paste some excerpts of the poll. It’ll take a few days to get any traction.’

Sue squeezed the bridge of her nose. ‘Why would Fox be interested in... wait. Lazy mothers stay home when they could be working. Something like that?’

‘Throw in some fear mongering and a smidge of casual racism.’ Kent shrugged. ‘They don’t have to like it, they just have to talk about it, and they will. They’ll get all overheated about how women should be mothers and wives and nothing else. Then we stir the pot a little, raise some of the more excited comments over on liberal boards. They’ll respond and it’ll spread. You get your opposition to complain and then your side is almost compelled to defend.’

Sue took a drink of her coffee. ‘Why do I feel as though I’m dating Darth Vader?’

‘Because you can’t pronounce Palpatine,’ he said.

She threw a cushion at him. He didn’t seem to mind.


	7. Scar Tissue

That Selina was in a foul mood that did absolutely nothing to diminish Sue’s general good humour. Sue had dozens of messages from old friends, and boyfriends, along with several requests for interviews. She couldn’t give any interviews, obviously, but that wasn’t the point.

Amy sat on the edge of Sue’s desk. ‘What the holy fuck were you doing in that car to give Ben a heart attack?’

‘Heart attacks aren’t duels, Amy, they don’t occur because someone slapped you in the face with a glove.’

‘She’s furious, you know that? It took weeks to set up that meeting at Fort Meade.’

Sue gave her a look. ‘I know, I set it up.’

‘It’s incredibly unhelpful of him to-’ Amy checked her phone. ‘Shit!’ she squawked and scrambled from the room. After a moment Dan ran running in the opposite direction.

‘Hey,’ Mike said, ‘wanna bet who gets interim chief of staff while Ben’s in hospital?’

‘That would be in appallingly bad taste.’ Sue frowned as she took in his ensemble. ‘Are you sleeping in your clothes?’

‘No! I just don’t always have time to go to the dry cleaners,’ he said sheepishly. ‘And three days a month I barely manage to do my job.’

‘It’s not three days a month, Mike,’ Sue said severely.

‘You and Wendy aren’t still... you know, are you?’ Gary asked.

Mike scowled. ‘Yes, we’re still trying to have a baby, which is a perfectly normal thing that couples do. Don’t talk about it like it’s dirty, okay?’

Jonah sidled into the room. ‘Ooh, what’s dirty?’

‘Your mind,’ Sue said promptly.

‘Well at least I didn’t get papped with Mr. Davison sprawled all over me,’ he retorted.

Mike blinked. ‘That is the weirdest image I may have ever heard of.’

‘Yeah that’s...’ Gary trailed off into a silent shudder.

‘What are you talking about, Jonah?’ Sue demanded.

He shrugged, a little cautious now. ‘You got papped napping at the hospital. TMZ has a photograph.’

Mike bent over his computer. ‘Must’ve been a slow news night at the old gossip hole.

‘Kent sleeps?’ Gary mutters.

Mike snickered. ‘Maybe his batteries were running now.’

‘If either of you say one more thing in that vein I will slam your heads together,’ Sue said.

‘See? I told you they were fucking again!’ Jonah said. He caught Sue’s eye and flushed. ‘Oh, sorry. Please don’t slam my head anywhere.’

‘There it is,’ Mike said. ‘Great photo of you. Sue.’

She walked around and looked over his shoulder. Someone had stood in front of them, quite close, and taken a photograph. She was definitely asleep: eyes closed and her head lolling, although fortunately neither drooling nor apparently snoring. Kent was facing them away from the camera. He was simply a grey-haired figure in a suit. She was beginning to envy his knack for anonymity.

‘You have got to be fucking kidding me.’

They looked up. Selina had her hands on her hips. ‘Where is everyone?’ she asked.

‘I’m right here,’ Gary said, giving her a little wave.

‘Where’s B-’ she caught herself. ‘Damn it. Where are Amy and Dan?’

‘They both kinda screamed and ran that way,’ Mike said.

‘Screamed. Great. And where is Kent?’

‘Ma’am?’

‘Jesus!’ Selina threw up her hands. ‘Don’t sneak up on me. I’m the only one who gets to sneak up on people.’ She pressed her palm to her forehead. ‘I’m supposed to be talking to the Chinese in three hours.’

Kent nodded. ‘Yes, Ma’am, Mike is punching up your statement as we speak. Ben had done some preliminary research so I dug that out and added some of my own.’ He handed her a folder. ‘There’s a briefing page at the front to give you a flavour of each topic. They’re colour coded so that you can quickly find the analysis and data if you need it.’

‘Oh.’ Selina flipped through the folder. ‘I forgot you could be competent.’ She smacked him on the elbow. ‘Good work.’

They watched her stroll back into her office.

‘I can’t remember the last time she called me competent,’ Mike muttered, quickly pulling up her prepared statement.

‘You think that was a compliment?’ Kent asked, still frowning.

‘She _said_ good work,’ Gary said. ‘She doesn’t throw around that very often.’

‘She says it to me all the time,’ Sue observed.

‘See how often she says that when she sees the photograph,’ Jonah said, wagging his finger.

‘Put that away or I will break it off,’ Kent said flatly.

‘Oh, yes sir. Sorry sir.’ Jonah muttered.

Mike looked up. ‘Hey, Jonah, wanna a bet on who gets named interim chief of staff?’

Sue rolled her eyes. ‘Why not just start a GoFundMe for your debts, Mike? It’d be less humiliating.’

‘Yes,’ Jonah said. ‘Wait, who else is betting?’

‘Just me,’ Mike asked. ‘I asked Sue but she thinks it’s tasteless or disgusting or something.’

Jonah looked at Sue and Kent. ‘Neither of you is betting, right? Because I’m not doing it if you are.’

‘What the fuck are you flapping your gums about?’ Mike asked.

Jonah waved his arms. ‘They cheat, Mike. They cheat _great_!’

‘I don’t think that’s necessarily a fair assessment,’ Kent said.

Gary frowned. ‘What’s he talking about?’ he asked suspiciously.

Kent waved a hand at Jonah. ‘Is there some reason that you’re here, Mr. Ryan or is primarily nostalgia that brings you to this part of the building?’

Jonah licked his lips. ‘I came to tell Sue about the photograph on TMZ. Monitoring the media is part of my purview…’

‘Welcome to Jonah’s ten dollar word of the day,’ Mike muttered.

Kent narrowed his eyes. ‘Well now you’ve informed her. Please don’t let us keep you from your work.’

 ‘Sir, yes, sir.’

Kent turned to Sue. ‘Might I have a word with you in my office?’

‘Certainly.’

She rose from her seat and followed him. In his office he shut the door and held out a chair for her.

‘What’s this photograph he’s babbling about?’ Kent asked, rifling through a folder.

‘Someone took a photo of us at the hospital. My face is clearly visible. Yours is not. The photograph is on the TMZ website.’

He looked at her blankly. ‘What on earth for?’

She shrugged. ‘A slow news week was Mike’s opinion. It seems as likely an explanation as any other. Did you… go to have fast food?’

Kent frowned slightly. ‘Hmm? Oh. Yes. ‘All done for now.’ He scratched his forehead. He looked at Sue thoughtfully, as if trying to make up his mind about something. ‘I had yet another call from HR. They’ve been sending me all of the stuff they normally direct to Ben.’

‘You’re telling me this, because?’

‘They’re asking about counselling.’

Sue blinked. ‘What?’

He waved a hand. ‘Because of Ben. Trauma.’

‘I don’t need counselling.’

Kent put his hands on his hips. ‘Might be helpful,’ he said, oddly wary, ‘and it would enable you to access the counsellor without having to give any other explanation.’

Sue folded her arms. ‘What are you trying to say?’

He chewed his lip. ‘I’m talking about last night.’

‘What about it?’

Kent was quiet for a long moment. ‘Forgive me, I’m unsure if you’re refusing to discuss this or if you simply can’t remember.’

Sue stared at him. ‘You know me.’

He nodded. ‘Periodically you have nightmares but last night was unprecedented. You were… atypically distressed. You don’t recall?’

She started to answer but then paused, thinking about it. She remembered being so relieved when she woke and he was there, safe. Sue licked her lips. ‘I didn’t realise you were aware I had bad dreams.’

Kent gently touched her elbow. ‘I sleep beside you.’

Sue stepped towards him but didn’t move her arms. ‘Did I wake you up?’

‘You’re generally return easily to sleep but last night it was a struggle to settle you for more than an hour or so.’

_Panic. Darkness. Heart crashing. Breaths sharp. Flailing in the dark. Fear tangled like a rope. Couldn’t... wouldn’t... not again..._

_‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’_

_Body hears the words before the brain. The words. The tone. The voice._

_‘I’ve got you. Everything is okay.’_

_‘You left! You were gone! You left!’_

_Fear slides into rage. Hands into fists._

_‘I didn’t leave. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.’_

Sue looked away. ‘A bad dream hardly means someone requires counselling.’

‘Sure. One. It’s not the first time.’ He touched her belly with his fingertips. ‘How old was your dad when he died?’

‘Considerably younger than Ben.’

Kent was quiet for a long moment. ‘Jackson was twelve when our father died. It was before Jackson and I met. He gets very anxious when people are ill. He always seems a little surprised anyone over fifty can recover from a cold.’

Sue smiled slightly. ‘I find that image difficult to reconcile with the man I met.’

‘I find it difficult to reconcile the strong, self-assured woman with the one who has nightmares about me dying,’ he said. ‘Yet here we are.’

Sue stepped back. ‘I don’t come to work for muddled psychoanalysis.’

Kent spread out his arms. ‘I’m only asking you to consider it. Just have a chat with the counsellor.’

‘I don’t see you running off to talk about your feelings.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘You think I didn’t get help after Matty?’

‘You don’t talk about it,’ she said quietly.

Kent shrugged. ‘Everyone has scars, Sue, and some of them lay deeper than other. The existence of scar tissue doesn’t negate a healed wound.’

Sue stepped into his space, into the atmosphere that surrounded the orbit of his body, and breathed in the scent of his skin.

‘Will you think about it?’ he asked, resting his hands on her waist.  

She rested her hands on his chest. ‘I won’t be thought weak. Don’t tell me nobody will find out. We know they will.’

Kent rested his forehead against hers. ‘Will you consider it if I go?’

‘Do my periodic dreams disturb you that much?’ she asked, plucking at the buttons on his shirt.

‘You don’t see yourself afterwards.’ He pulled her closer. ‘I just want you to be able to sleep. To do it without fear.’

She closed her eyes. ‘I’ll go once. If it’s nonsense I won’t go again.’

‘Agreed.’

* * *

When Sue went in to appraise Selina of the updated schedule, she found the president with her head in her hands.

‘Ma’am?’

‘He’s five years older than me,’ Selina said. ‘Five years. That’s nothing! Five years is like that!’ she snapped her fingers.

Sue looked at Gary.

‘You are in _fantastic_ shape.’ Gary said. ‘And women live longer than men.’

‘And we age worse.’ Selina waved a hand at Sue. ‘Kent is about Ben’s age, right?’

Sue shifted slightly. ‘A few months younger.’

‘That bastard looks great. He looks fucking distinguished. If a man looks distinguished that means women find him extra fuckable. If a woman looks distinguished that means men want to bury her.’

‘I don’t believe anyone is claiming Ben looks distinguished,’ Sue said carefully.

‘Sure as hell not right now.’ Selina sat back in her chair. ‘Did you schedule me a visit with him?’

‘This afternoon.’ Sue showed her the printout.

‘I can’t believe he chose this moment to keel over, and he couldn’t have done it in DC?’ Selina shook her head. ‘Pain in my ass.’

‘Did the hospital say how bad it is?’ Gary asked Sue.

‘It was a heart attack, Gary. It was bad,’ Sue said firmly.

‘Did they say how long he’d be away?’ Selina prodded.

‘A minimum of a month but likely more.’

Selina got up and wandered over to the fireplace. ‘Great, so now I gotta appoint a new interim chief of staff.’

Sue considered making Amy’s case, but Selina could be unpredictable.

‘Mike is taking bets who it’ll be,’ Gary said.

Selina looked at him. ‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah.’

‘Jesus. That’s tacky.’ She frowned as she turned to see. ‘Hey, is it true you and Kent tricked Dan into cockblocking Ericsson?’

Gary’s eyes widened. ‘No! You didn’t!’

‘Oh take a pill, Gary,’ Selina said. ‘Politics is a dirty, shitty business. Backstabbing sneaky assholes are who you want pulling for you, not goody-goody holier than thou ones.’ She gestured at Sue. ‘So is it true?’

‘I believe this would be an appropriate moment to claim the fifth, Ma’am,’ Sue said, ‘and to return to my desk.’

She assumed that Dan had been responsible for imparting that little nugget of information to Selina. He was proving quite the annoyance.

* * *

At lunchtime, Kent took her out to Literati Cafe. After all, as he said, mouth twisted in distaste, there was little point in hiding their relationship when half the country had seen him sleeping on her lap.

‘Selina knows we sent Dan to disrupt her meeting with Ericsson,’ she said as they settled down.

‘Doesn’t she have more pressing issues?’

Sue shrugged and crossed her legs. ‘She asked me if it was true. She said she wanted backstabbing sneaky assholes on her team.’

Kent took a small bite of his Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut salad. ‘She already has Dan for that.’

‘Should we concerned?’

He thought about it. ‘No. Ultimately she’s a pragmatist and is quite capable of putting aside her personal antipathy in order to pursue a common goal. You’re far too efficient and experienced for her to risk losing, and she’s feeling far too vulnerable to lose me.’

Sue felt herself relax a little. ‘Good.’

He looked at her. ‘Feeling a little uneasy?’

‘I cannot risk losing my medical coverage.’

‘Would it make you feel better or worse if I said I had additional private medical cover which could be expanded to you?’

‘Both.’ Sue dissected a tomato. ‘Wouldn’t we have to be married for that?’

 A little colour flaunted in his cheeks and he glanced away. ‘Possibly. Would that be a bad thing?’

Sue chewed her tomato and then swallowed. ‘I don’t believe I said it would,’ she said cautiously. ‘Marriage is a significant commitment.’

Now he looked at her. ‘More significant a commitment than having a child together? There’s no divorcing yourself from that.’

Sue nodded. ‘Did you think about that when you realised I was pregnant?’

‘Briefly.’

‘Why briefly?’

Kent sat back, toying with a button on his jacket. ‘I realised that I had no qualms about that level of commitment to you.’

Sue licked her lips. She had the feeling that she was brushing her fingertips against something in a fog. Something fragile and skittish that would shatter if she pressed it too firmly.

‘I didn’t think about it in quite those terms,’ she said, letting each word out with due care. ‘Which is not to say that I have not considered how invested I am.’

He licked his lips. ‘You have.’

‘I have, and I find that I am appropriately committed.’

Kent shifted position. ‘Appropriately?’

‘Entirely,’ she said, calmly.

She thought the breath he released should probably have said set the window blinds clattering.

‘Good,’ he said.

Sue lent across and kissed him.

‘Did we just get engaged?’ he asked.

‘Yes. I believe we did.’

 


	8. Conspiracies and Compliments

 

 

‘You’re gonna support me for interim chief of staff, right?’ Amy demanded.

Sue finished her email, confirming the scheduled visit of a parental advocacy group later in the day, and then looked up at Amy.

‘Have you told Selina that you want the job?’

Amy folded her arms tightly. ‘It’s not like I can just walk up to her and say “hey, so I want Ben’s job, can I have it?” That’s not how it’s done.’

Sue narrowed her lips. ‘It’s how Dan would do it.’

Amy’s mouth twisted into a moue of disgust. ‘I’m not fucking Dan.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘You may wish to rephrase that.’

‘I…I am not having this conversation!’ Amy narrowed her eyes. ‘But we both know that I would be a better chief of staff than Dan.’

‘The smart money is on you,’ Sue agreed. ‘Which is to say that Jonah is betting on Dan.’

Amy tapped her foot and turned to look at the office door. ‘He’s in there, isn’t he? With some sneaky plan to show me up.’

‘Jonah?’

‘Uh, Dan. If Jonah had been there all this time then we’d be looking to bury him with Senator O’Callaghan.’ Amy flipped her hair over her shoulder. ‘Wherever that is.’

Sue took a sip of her mint tea. ‘Someone else mentioned him recently. Who was he?’

Amy waved her hand. ‘Some famous ass-grabby dick went missing after he beat the shit out of some hooker. One of those booze and blow types.’

‘A senator went missing,’ Sue repeated.

‘It was in the fucking dark ages.’ Amy shrugged. ‘Back then if a senator was getting high or beating hookers or any other damn thing then everybody looked the other way.’

Sue shook her head. ‘Now we wait for someone to post it on Whisper.’

Dan marched in, phone clamped between his ear and shoulder, poking at his iPad with his free hand. ‘No, no, the president’s meeting at the NSA is a much more appealing news story than… An old fat guy having a heart attack is not a fucking story. Two people falling asleep in a hospital is not a story. The president being the candidate of choice of the intelligence services is a far bigger… People aren’t interested in human interest, okay, that is completely misnamed. You want to see human beings, look out the window. You don’t have to look at a website.’

Sue’s attention was drawn back to Amy.

‘What the fuck is he doing there?’ Amy demanded.

‘Talking nonsense.’

‘If he’s there then who the fuck is in there with Selina?’

‘That would be Mr. Davison,’ Sue said.

Amy narrowed her eyes. ‘What the fuck is he doing in there all this time?’

 Sue tried to continue with her work. ‘She called him in.’

‘He’s not pulling for Dan?’

Sue restrained a sigh. ‘Amy, you know that would not happen.’

The other woman fiddled with her phone as she stared at Dan. ‘I deserve chief of staff. Dan couldn’t even cope with campaign manager. You remember what happened, with the two iPads, and the…babbling incoherency. This would be worse!’

Sue suppressed a shudder. ‘Tell Selina.’

‘I will, if Kent ever comes out of the damn office.’

Dan snapped shut his cell and noticed Amy glaring. ‘Looking for some tips?’

‘Yeah, in your case the world would’ve been a better place if they’d thrown you away and kept the tip,’ Amy retorted.

Dan grinned. ‘If only you could bring that level of zest to your work.’

‘Please take your sexual tension someone else,’ Sue said tartly.

Dan sniggered. ‘Only room in the White House for one couple with sexual tension, hey Sue?’

She looked at him until his grin faded and he backed away. ‘Do _not_ sexually harass me, Dan.’

He waved his iPad defensively as if to ward her off. ‘Totally not harassing you sexually or otherwise. I date women who can aid my career and-’

Dan registered Sue’s vicious death glare and trailed off.

‘Keep talking Dan. See what I can do to your career,’ she said.

‘I’m going to go over there now and wait for Selina,’ Dan said, pointing to the corner of the room.

‘Do that.’

Amy chewed her pen as she watched him scurry away. ‘I could watch that on loop.’

Sue was about to reply when the door was thrown open and Gary skittered out ahead of Selina and with Kent following along behind. He had his arms tightly crossed over his chest, not something that filled Sue with confidence.  

‘Sue, is the car here yet? Where’s Mike? He better not be jerking off into a jar again so help me he has _ruined_ picnics for me forever.’

‘The car is ready, Ma’am,’ Sue said, cutting in before the rant reached maximum velocity.

‘Here, I’m here,’ Mike said shuffling forward.

Selina gave him a narrow look. ‘What were you doing?’

Mike’s face, always tending to hangdog, was a mix of guilt and defensiveness. ‘Checking eBay.’

‘Oh for fuck’s sake.’ Selina marched towards the door.

Amy licked her lips. ‘Ma’am, on the way could we have a talk about an interim chief of staff?’

She snapped her fingers. ‘Shit, almost forgot.’ She raised her voice. ‘Listen up…’

‘Quiet!’ Gary hissed.

Selina flicked him a look but carried on. ‘It looks like Ben Cafferty is going to be out of action for maybe a couple of months, hopefully less, but maybe more. Until that happens, Kent will be keeping his seat warm. Any shit Ben would’ve dealt with you sweep his way. Anything you would’ve told Uncle Ben, you tell Kent. Okay? Great. Mike, Amy, Dan, let’s get going. Come on hustle people.’

A lesser woman might have winced away from the expression on Amy’s face. Sue was made of sterner stuff. She who hesitates is lunch and hesitation was habitual for Amy. Being her friend and supporter was at times an exercise in frustration. Nonetheless Sue made a note in her calendar to arrange drinks as soon as possible. That night for preference. Amy would need to get it off her chest.

As Selina and her entourage left the room, Sue heard the door to Kent’s office slammed shut. Sue checked her watch and then her to-do list. She waved over Greta, the intern, and narrowed her eyes when the redhead trooped over.

‘That hickey makes you look cheap,’ Sue said.

Greta’s face flushed bright red and she tried to adjust the scarf around her neck. ‘I’m not cheap.’

‘Appearances in politics are very important.’

‘Could you see it across the room?’ Greta asked, fidgeting with her scarf.

Sue handed over twenty dollars. ‘Go to the Literati Café and buy one of their bags of dark chocolate and peanut butter cookies, a hazelnut cappuccino, and a short espresso macchiato.’

Greta’s stomach rumbled. Sue ignored it and returned to her work. Selina was on a particularly busy schedule that day, admittedly that had been deliberate on Sue’s part. All the better for her not to think too much about why she was meeting with the parental advocacy group. As Sue answered the phone she automatically reached into her desk with her free hand and pulled out a bottle of heartburn medicine.

‘Yes? No. I don’t have time to deal with this.’ She put the phone down and took a gulp from the bottle in a smooth movement. She looked up as a shadow slid across her desk.

Furlong. Sue tried not to roll her eyes. He was not a man who was ageing with dignity and he had once called her “sweetheart”. That was not easily forgiven.

‘The president has just left. She will be back by two-thirty,’ she said firmly.

‘Jesus Christ, I only just arrived here, what did you do stick her on a skateboard and push her out the window?’

Sue gave him a look. ‘The president of the united states does not arrange her schedule to avoid you. If you would like to make an appointment to see her then you may.’

Furlong jangled his keys in his pocket. ‘Cafferty back yet?’

‘No, he is not expected back for some weeks.’ Sue took another sip of her heartburn fluid.

Furlong narrowed his eyes as she did. ‘She got someone covering or are we putting the kiddies in a ball pit and waiting for them to fight to the death?’

The phone rang again. ‘She has just appointed Mr. Davison as interim chief of staff.’ She turned her attention to the telephone. ‘No. No. Go away.’

‘Davison huh? Well at least he’s a grown up,’ Furlong snorted. ‘You still fucking him?’

The background noise in the bullpen suddenly dropped.

Sue looked him steadily in the eye. ‘I doubt you are his type but if you plan to make a pass at him please let me know.’

‘Real funny sweetheart, now put me on her schedule.’

‘Not if you are going to address me in that manner.’

Furlong watched her for a moment. ‘It’s a fucking compliment, okay?’

‘The fact that you believe a patronising and insulting comment is somehow complimentary does not make it so. My name is not “sweetheart”, “darling”, “sexy”, “sugar”, and most assuredly not “chocolate”.’

Furlong blinked. ‘Who the fuck called you “chocolate”? Jesus.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘He is in no position to do it again.’

Furlong shifted uncomfortably. ‘I don’t know your name.’

Greta cleared her throat. She edged over to the desk. ‘Here you are _Miss Wilson_ ,’ she said, putting the little bag down on the desk. ‘And here’s your change, _Miss Wilson_.’

‘Thank you.’

Furlong snorted at Greta. ‘That was as subtle as a fucking dumper truck.’

‘Still more subtle than you,’ Sue said.

He threw his hands in the air. ‘Miss Wilson, please put me on the president’s fucking schedule already, okay? Christ! I’m on her campaign team!’

Sue made a note. ‘You can come back at three thirty –five when she should have a five minute window or tomorrow at ten. Your choice.’

‘Nice man,’ Greta said, watching him storm off. Her tone could have chilled milk.

Sue nodded. ‘He can be personable to his voters but he needs notice. Three or four hours.’ She took something from her desk drawer and held it out. ‘Here, a Band-Aid will at least cover up the hickey.’

 

***

She had to juggle things a little so that she could tap on Kent’s door.

‘Go away.’

She opened the door with her foot. He was scowling as the door open but the scowl dropped away when he saw it was her. He got up quickly, pulling out a chair, and shutting the door behind her.

‘What have you got there?’

‘Goodies.’ Sue sat down, took out the cookies, and took the lid off both coffees. ‘How’s your hand?’

‘Much better.’ He rotated his wrist. ‘I can be a baby about pain.’

Sue’s eyebrows raised. ‘Oh?’

‘Don’t pretend you haven’t heard about me squealing when Selina smacked me in the eye with her lipstick,’ he said, sipping his macchiato.

Sue winced in sympathy. ‘It sounded unpleasant. I’m sure everyone understood.’

Kent shrugged. ‘Other people’s opinions aren’t my priority.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. A little pink touched his cheeks.

‘Other people not in this room,’ he elaborated.

Sue crossed her legs and her foot brushed against his calf. ‘I hope you don’t plan to hold it against me when I make any peculiar noises when I’m in labour.’

‘Or at any other time.’

‘Don’t make me kick you. Not when I came in here to be supportive.’

Kent opened the cookies. ‘You know me too well.’

‘You did not have the appearance of a man pleased.’ Sue stole a cookie and leaned back. She thought she could guess the problem: Kent was not a man who welcomed scrutiny of any sort. He enjoyed being behind the scenes, power without accountability. Chief of staff was, to his way of thinking, unpleasantly high profile.

‘I don’t want it. Ben didn’t want it. She had to bully him into it. The only people who want the job are the ones who don’t understand it.’ Kent dunked his cookie into his coffee. It was a precise, almost surgical movement, calculated to moisten the cookie without it disintegrating. He closed his eyes for a moment as he took a bite. ‘These are excellent.’

‘I remembered they were your favourite.’

Kent wiped away crumbs from his beard. ‘We could have the first chocolate and peanut butter wedding cake.’

‘Good. My mother would hate it.’

‘She lectured me on visiting Ben,’ he said. ‘We’re the only ones who haven’t, she says.’

Sue thought about it. ‘Would Ben want you to visit?’

‘I’m sure he doesn’t.’ Kent shrugged. ‘Maybe we can sneak him in some alcohol.’

‘Do you want his job permanently?’

‘If I did I’d sneak some burgers.’

Sue took another cookie. ‘When do you want to go? I’m hoping to ask Amy out this evening.’ She almost sighed at his blank expression. ‘She has been disappointed in losing the chief of staff position. Again.’

Kent squeezed the bridge of his nose. ‘It was never going to be Amy. Selina simply doesn’t think that she’s capable. She calls her “flailing Amy”.’

‘Flailing Amy.’

‘Have no delusions, she would fire us all in a heartbeat if it advanced her position one iota.’

Sue rubbed her forehead. ‘I didn’t. I failed to realise that pragmatism had devolved into outright contempt.’

Kent made a so-so gesture with his hand. ‘Frustration and stress is likely playing a part. To return to the point: if Amy wanted to cover for Ben she should have done it, not waited for permission.’

‘Does she have a name for me?’

‘Not even Selina would be idiotic enough to insult you in front of me.’ Kent dunked another cookie. ‘But I would be surprised. You’re exceptionally competent and she is aware of that.’

Certainly Sue was aware that it was true and it was no surprise that he realised it. Nonetheless it was pleasing to hear.

‘It’s unfortunate that Amy’s loyalty is not reciprocated.’

‘Hughes was loyal to Ben,’ Kent said. ‘He’s the only politician I can think of who comes close.’ He reached out to touch her hand. ‘You don’t have to look to Selina for loyalty.’

She entwined their fingers. ‘I have no doubt.’ Sue shifted position slightly. ‘Dan has many faults but he understands the value of a mentor. He appreciates that someone more experienced can provide helpful guidance. Amy has yet to come to the same realisation.’

Kent narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘Political patronage can be particularly problematic for women. It can be open to abuse.’

Sue nodded. ‘No doubt. But if she were to assist, to carry out some of Ben’s duties while he’s away, then she could build currency with Selina.’

Kent was already shaking his head. ‘No.’ 

‘You have enough work of your own. You want to be a hands-on father. I refuse to do this by myself. Give her a chance.’

He closed his eyes and rubbed them. ‘She would never agree.’

‘Then you needn’t worry further about it.’ Sue stroked his fingers.

Kent sighed and waved his free hand. ‘I’ll speak to her.’

‘Good.’

‘You’re a better friend than she deserves,’ he said. ‘I hope you know that.’

Sue finished her coffee. ‘Any woman who would come with me halfway across DC to let Tucker carry your drunken self into your apartment is a true friend.’

He pulled a face. ‘Yes, well.’ He cleared his throat. ‘The parental pressure group still coming in this afternoon?’

Sue nodded. ‘Jonah was running around earlier with news of a flame war erupting on the forums of several news channels. _Someone_ has been stirring up quite the controversy about the US providing far less child care than most comparable countries.’

‘I saw,’ Kent said, a little pleased at the acknowledgement. ‘We’ll be in a better position when it lands on her desk. I’m going to float it with her at the briefing later. Just raise it and let it seed.’

‘You realise that between us we completely control access to the president’s schedule and calendar?’

Kent snorted. ‘Believe me, I’m sure someone in the media will notice and spin all sorts of ridiculous paranoid fantasies about it. Whenever news of our relationship becomes public no doubt we will be renowned among conspiracy theorists as members of some secret alliance – the Illuminati most likely since the Freemasons are notoriously sexist.’

‘My first time implicated in a tinfoil hat conspiracy,’ Sue said, sitting back. ‘Do you think they might issue me with some sort of certificate?’

‘They’ve never issued me with one,’ he said. ‘But then I’ve never asked.’ He scratched his forehead. ‘Although I’ve only really been on the periphery of previous theories. This will be my first time as a leading light.’

Sue allowed herself a small smile. ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you,’ Kent said gravely.

***

Amy was weary and more despairing than bitter. As they sat in a quiet bar not far from Amy’s apartment, the better to get her home if falling down drunk, she was staring into her glass of wine.

‘At least Ben made sense. Experience and continuity and all that… fucking shit people say when what they mean is “I don’t want to change anything”. Kent’s never been a chief of staff not even for a fucking alderman!’ Amy drained her glass in one go and poured another one. ‘He didn’t even want it.’

‘No. He did not steal your job,’ Sue said gently. ‘It was Selina’s decision entirely.’

Amy glared at her. ‘Don’t fucking defend him to me.’

‘He doesn’t need defending.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘It could have been worse.’

‘What, like Dan? Christ, can you imagine what a disaster that’d be?’

Sue crossed her legs. ‘Imagine if it was Jonah,’ she murmured.

Amy almost choked on her wine. ‘Selina would kill him in a week. Do you think the Secret Service would kill him for her? The President of the United States shouldn’t have to do her own goddamn murders. She barely wipes her own ass.’

‘Not for lack of volunteering on Gary’s part, I’m sure.’

Amy cackled and took a gulp of her wine. ‘If this was ancient Rome he’d be one of those guys who guarded the virgins. The ones with no balls.’  

‘A eunuch.’ Sue sipped her sparkling apple juice. ‘He would be extremely good at it.’

Amy leant forward. ‘Did you ever meet Dana?’

‘I did not have the pleasure.’

‘Oh my fucking god, that woman was insane. She accused me of being hot for Gary. Because obviously anyone with functioning ovaries would be.’

Sue pursed her lips. ‘Was she on medication?’

‘If she wasn’t then she should have been.’ Amy tipped up the bottle and banged the end with her palm. ‘He has terrible taste in women.’ She reddened at the expression on Sue’s face. ‘I’m not talking about Dan.’

‘I didn’t ask.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘You aren’t going to drunkenly tell me about his prowess in bed I hope.’

‘Not on one bottle I’m not.’ Amy stood up. ‘Another glass of whatever the hell you’re drinking?’

***

‘Dull.’ Amy waved a hand and sloshed wine. ‘No zip. No zing. No passion.’ She looked Sue in the eye. ‘I told him I thought we should see other people and he said okay. _Okay_.’

The evening was wearing on. The light had fallen and the noise level had risen. Sue was tired. Her feet ached. She was fed up of traipsing off to the increasingly crowded restroom. Going out drinking was a limited pleasure but going out and remaining sober while your companion got drunk was no pleasure at all.

When Amy dragged herself off to the restroom Sue took out her cell and called home.

‘Yes?’

‘It’s me,’ she said. ‘What’re you doing?’

She heard his breathing change as he stretched. ‘Netflix and a beer. You?’

‘People watching and sparkling apple juice.’

He snorted. ‘You sound bored.’

‘I am bored. What are you wearing?’ She smiled at his snort of laughter. ‘I may need assistance getting Amy home,’ she said.  

‘Drunk?’

‘Yes.’

‘Ambulatory?’

Sue crossed her legs. ‘Currently but I don’t anticipate that continuing for long.’

‘Boyfriend?’ He was moving about now and the dim burble of the television had snapped off.

‘They have parted ways,’ Sue said. Over by the bar she could see a heavily tattooed young woman and an older woman with waist length pink hair having a hissed row. ‘As far as she is concerned that is. Ed believes that they are seeing other people.’

She heard him sigh. ‘Understood.’

‘The voice of experience,’ Sue teased.

‘Alas,’ he said gravely. ‘Text me when you want me.’

‘Be more specific.’ She watched as Amy stopped in her path back from the restroom and wavered off to the bar.

‘Flattery is the food of fools, Miss. Wilson,’ he said dryly.

‘I don’t flatter.’ She sighed as Amy bought another bottle of wine. ‘Amy is returning. With more wine.’

‘Enjoy.’


	9. Jazz and Westerns

 

Poor Ben did not look noticeably better than the last time that Sue had seen him. He was in a private room, which was a mercy, but he was pale and breathless. He looked over at the door when they walked in and that his expression didn’t change said much about his general mood.

‘We’ve brought you something to read and some music,’ Sue said, sitting down on the visitor’s chair.

Kent shut the door and leant back against the wall.

‘What no fruit? I was beginning to think it was a conspiracy.’ Ben gestured at the news show on the television. ‘You see this shit? They’re agitating about child care. They dredged up some interview Selina gave about child care and now they’re screaming she’s a hypocrite because there’s no child care facility in the White House.’

It took all of Sue’s self-control not to glance behind her.

 Ben emptied out the books onto the bed: some westerns, a couple of historical war novels, a true crime, a crime thriller, and a political satire. ‘So you people have no damn idea what I’d want to read?’

‘If you don’t want them I’ll happily return them to Goodwill,’ Sue said crisply.

‘Goodwill huh, you’re clearly spoiling her, Kent,’ Ben said, looking over at him briefly. ‘Where’d you take her for dinner, Applebee’s?’

‘Gracious as always, Ben.’

Ben shifted position, his hand rubbing as his chest. ‘Some asshole broke three of my ribs. You know that?’

‘You don’t say.’

Sue stood up. ‘Clearly we’re disturbing your rest. I hope that you’re feeling better soon.’

Ben caught her sleeve with his fingers. ‘Don’t run off. You got no idea how fucking _dull_ it is here. Save me from the iodine-soaked embrace of the medical profession.’

‘I’m going to take a walk,’ Kent said, straightening up. He was out of the room before Sue sat back down.

‘I thought he was never going to leave.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you imagine it was his choice to visit?’

Ben laboured to push himself up in the bed. ‘I thought maybe he’d come by to press a pillow over my face.’

Sue shook her head. ‘He wouldn't risk going to jail for you, Ben.’

‘No, you’re right, he’d find some sneaky way to get someone else to bump me off.’ Ben looked at the CDs which were a completely mixed bag of genres and styles.

‘Or simply not give you CPR,’ Sue said. ‘That would’ve worked.’

Ben shook his head and closed his eyes. ‘Great. Please lecture me on how I owe him my life. I suppose I should make a great song and dance about thanking him.’

‘Please don’t. He would not appreciate it in the slightest degree.’ In Sue’s experience, embarrassment at gratitude was a surprisingly common trait in men of a certain age and background. Perhaps it was apiece to a general discomfort with high emotion generally. Something Ben of all people was probably more comfortable with.

‘Pretty good reason to do it then.’ Ben scratched at his shoulder. ‘Can’t believe he broke my ribs.’

Sue shrugged. ‘It takes a great deal of force to perform CPR correctly. Better broken ribs than brain damage, organ failure, or death.’ She regretted it as soon as she said it. He knew how close he’d come. ‘Kent hurt his wrist. He only just removed the bandage.’

Ben opened one of the CDs and ran his finger around the edge. ‘You think I don’t know I nearly died?’ He looked at her. ‘Five minutes ago I was twenty-five. I was going to live forever. Life was this long road stretching ahead off into the distance.’ He waved his hand. ‘Then one day you look at the road and you can see the end. Every day you see it getting a little bit closer. One day you see that there’s far more road behind you than there is ahead.’

‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

Ben shrugged. ‘Thanks for the books. For the record, I like westerns.’ He found a CD. ‘Blues are good.’ He leant forward slightly. ‘Jazz is better.’

Sue nodded. ‘Jazz and westerns. I’ll remember.’

‘You know, aside from the boredom this is about the happiest I’ve been in years. Nobody is screaming at me. No journalists. No senate or congress.’ He lowered his voice. ‘No president fucking up or kicking my ass.’ Ben shrugged. ‘It’s peaceful. I like peaceful. When I die, I want to be fucking stuffed and sat at my desk. Just so no matter how many times assholes come in and yell at me I won’t answer.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Interns would use you for practical jokes. Be buried with a cell phone for the pleasure of ignoring it.’

Ben nodded. ‘Oh, I like that idea.’

‘You’re in the wrong line of work,’ she said. ‘No job should take this much from you.’

‘I feel like there’s a vampire with its teeth buried in my neck,’ he said, gesturing with his hand.

Sue patted his hand.

He heaved a sigh and then looked at her more closely. He waved a hand at her. ‘This is a new look. What do you call that kind of top?’

‘Empire line,’ she said. It was uncharacteristically low cut, such was true, it was one way of distracting attention from her gently swelling stomach. She was undoubtedly beginning to show now but the combination of body shapers and layers of clothes was doing an excellent job of disguising her silhouette.

‘Nobody’s realised you’re pregnant yet huh?’

‘If they have then they have kept it to themselves,’ she said. ‘Which seems unlikely.’

Ben nodded. ‘That’s for sure. How far along now?’

‘Almost five months.’

‘Christ. Uh, and everything’s… okay, is it?’ he asked.

Sue nodded. ‘Everything is fine, Ben.’

He waved his hand. ‘Medical issues?’

Sue brushed her hair from her face. ‘The test was negative. We are cautiously optimistic.’

Ben squeezed her hand. ‘That’s good. That shit… that’ll eat you up.’ He licked his lips. ‘Look, Sue, I’ve been in politics a long time and I’ve seen a lot of older guys with younger women. More of them end badly than end well.’

Sue nodded. ‘You’re not telling me anything that I don’t know, Ben.’

‘You’re still sleeping with the guy.’

‘I’m in love with _the guy_ ,’ Sue said. ‘I haven’t said that to anyone else. You should be honoured.’ She stroked a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘You know Kent. You know me. You know that he was with Charlie for years. You know that I’m not some naïve twenty-year old. He’s not a politician, nor is he married, or dating someone else.’

‘Yeah, I know he was with Charlie for years. I know that after all that time together the asshole never married her. Who does that?’

Ah. Sue wondered how honestly she should answer, but then Kent had admitted it quite easily in front of her family.

‘Ben, he asked her,’ she said quietly. ‘She turned him down.’

‘What?’

‘He would have married her,’ Sue said calmly. ‘It was her choice. She had some political objection to the social construct of marriage. Marriage to a man, anyway.’

Ben folded his arms across his chest. ‘This is what he told you.’

‘This is what _Charlie_ told me.’

‘Fuck, now I can’t even hate him for that?’ Ben shook his head. ‘You’re sucking all the fun out of work.’

Sue put her hand on his arm for a brief moment. ‘You may continue to hate him for anything else.’

***

In the car on the way back to DC, Sue slipped off her shoes and her nylons and put her feet up on Kent’s lap. He put down the report he’d been reading and instead began to rub her balls of her feet.

‘Thank you.’

‘Any time,’ he said gravely. 

‘Did you know that he thought you wouldn’t marry Charlie?’ she asked. ‘That’s why he keeps warning me off you.’

Kent frowned slightly. ‘He knows Charlie. She wouldn’t have stayed.’

‘You stayed,’ Sue observed.

He licked his lips. ‘Wasn’t the same. It was political not personal. A man not wanting to get married and a woman not wanting to get married are two entirely different scenarios.’

Sue leant forward to kiss his cheek. ‘I admire your clarity of thought.’

‘One of my few virtues,’ he said, slipping his hand onto her knee.

‘That story about Charlie having sex in an official car,’ she said, ‘had you ever tried it?’

He shook his head sadly. ‘We were never alone in an official car.’

‘Like this?’

‘Exactly so,’ Kent said.

‘Pity.’ Sue reached back and gently touched the closed screen. ‘Can the driver hear anything?’

‘Certainly not, can you imagine if a driver recorded Selina ranting away?’

Sue nodded and unbuttoned her blouse. ‘So we would not be heard.’

‘We would not,’ Kent said, unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his flies.

Sue pulled off her panties, folded them, and put them neatly in her purse. Then she slipped onto his lap. ‘It’s been years since I misbehaved in the back seat of a car.’

Kent brushed her blouse apart. ‘I lost my virginity in the back of a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle.’

‘Lucky boy.’ Sue closed her eyes as he kissed her breasts.

‘Not as lucky as I am now.’

***

Sue was a tiny bit sore as she shooed away Cliff, why was it always Cliff, and sat down at her desk. Selina had insisted that they go visit Ben, although Sue still suspected it was more for her own guilt at driving him so hard than any desire of his. It wasn’t that Sue had any particular desire to avoid Ben but that she had more than enough work to deal with and it piled up in her absence. She had, for instance, almost three hundred emails in her inbox, and she had only been away three hours. One of them, forwarded from Dan, was from a radio station that sounded faintly familiar. A radio station. In 2014, who listened to the radio anymore?

She heard the gibbering, so typical of him, a moment before his shadow fell across her desk. Sue took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on her work. Even when he cleared his throat.

‘Um, Sue?’ Jonah asked meekly.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked up. He was practically on his best behaviour. ‘What do you want, Mr. Ryan?’

‘I’m doing media monitoring, mostly social media, and these are really burning up the webisphere.’

‘Webisphere.’

‘They’ll be crossing over into meatspace any day now,’ he said earnestly.

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t know what that is, but it sounds disgusting.’ She nodded over at Dan. ‘I suggest you discuss it with Mr. Egan. Somewhere else, a long way from me.’

Jonah brandished his sheaf of printouts. ‘I will! I’ll do that right away.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Please tell Mr. Davison that you didn’t have to tell me twice.’

Sue frowned as she watched him walk away to harass Dan, almost colliding with Cliff who was _still_ pottering around the place for who knew what reason.

‘So you didn’t hear?’ Mike remarked, lounging back in his chair.

‘Do I want to hear?’

‘He tried out his best lines on that little intern, the redhead?’ Mike shook his head as he played with a pen. ‘Yeah, funny thing, she accused him of harassment and threatened to sue.’

‘We talking about Jonah getting his balls cut off?’ Dan asked as he wandered over, grinning. ‘I heard Kent put them in a fucking vice. Jonah could be heard screaming all the way to Arlington.’

‘Charming,’ Sue said dryly.

‘He didn’t tell you?’ Cliff asked, blinking those wide, bright eyes. ‘Mr. Davison, I mean, not Jonah. When I go home I tell my partner all about my day and…’ he trailed off in the face of Sue’s cold stare. ‘Obviously it’s different here with all the different levels of access.’

‘Uh, uh buddy,’ Mike said in a low, urgent voice. ‘They don’t talk about it.’

‘We do not,’ Sue said severely, ‘nor should you.’ She fixed a look on Cliff. ‘Is there a reason that you’re still here, Cliff?’

He gave her that desperate, frantic smile and scuttled away.

‘Kent really didn’t tell you about Jonah?’ Dan asked, lolling back against Gary’s desk and sipping a mug of coffee. ‘I think Kent was half an inch away from firing his ass but Jonah wailed so much he gave him another shot.’

‘Like he did when you fucked up with that Chung torture story,’ Mike snickered. ‘If only he’d fired _your_ ass we wouldn’t have you or Jonah to deal with.’

‘What was Jonah talking about?’ Sue asked.

Dan swallowed a mouthful of coffee. ‘Childcare debate is getting nasty with Fox News and CNN taking shots not only at each other but at Selina.’

‘Why at Selina?’ Mike asked.

‘Because, dipshit, because she’s a woman, and she’s a woman who has made pro-childcare comments in the past, and she’s a woman who’s made pro-childcare statements in the past and so far as they’re concerned she’s done absolutely fuck-all to change anything about the lack of provision. There isn’t even day care available to White House staffers. They’re calling her a hypocrite.’ Dan shrugged. ‘Hate to say that Bigfoot is right but I don’t see this getting any better for us without her tackling it directly.’

Mike was still struggling to process the conversation. ‘There’s no day care here?’

‘There is not,’ Sue said.

‘I gotta go talk to Wendy,’ he muttered.

***

Sue had packed an assortment of savouries, dips, and flavoured breads for their lunch. Since Kent had taken on Ben’s duties he had frequently been too busy to grab a sandwich let alone leave the building. She dislodged the junior press officer apparently planted in his office, blocked the door with a box of files, and took the phone off the hook.

‘Should I be afraid?’ he asked as he pulled out the chair for her.

‘No more than normal.’ She sat down and unpacked her cool bag. ‘You’re working too hard and not eating properly. Therefore you will sit with me, relax, and enjoy your food.’

‘Mmm, I think I like it when you tell me what to do,’ he said carefully folding back his sleeves.

She gave him a look. ‘That should not be news.’

‘It’s not news but an acknowledgement.’ Kent opened a bottle of water and took a sip. ‘What’s happening out there?’

‘You’re supposed to be relaxing.’

‘I’ll relax when I have a better idea what’s going on out there,’ he replied.

‘Jonah provided Dan with apparently compelling proof that the lack of a comprehensive childcare provision in the country is an issue,’ Sue said.

Kent glanced up, he was getting a grip on a muffuletta. ‘Jonah’s opinion is worth very little now, if it ever had value. What was Dan’s response?’

‘Enthusiastic, I suspect he anticipates increasing his stock with Selina by encouraging her to move forward.’ Sue stole his sandwich. ‘What do the polls say?’

‘They say you’re fortunate I’m in love with you,’ he grumble as he dug into the bag again.

‘I’ll make it up to you tonight.’

‘Actually, we’ve had positive results’ he said. ‘I think we’re starting a gradual shift towards it.’ He took a bite and chewed. ‘It’s possible that a day care facility in the White House might represent a tipping point. Somewhat exciting, don’t you think?’

Sue took a breath. ‘This would have happened anyway, surely we haven’t actually had a direct effect on… opinion?’

Kent shook his head. ‘The spat we engineered online has spawned massively, it’s really quite fascinating to follow how it’s been picked up, evolved, and reproduced.’ He licked his lips. ‘You seem disturbed. This is what we wanted.’

‘I thought we wanted day care,’ she said, ‘now you’re talking about a cultural tipping point. You don’t find that at least somewhat concerning?’

He sat back. ‘Let’s not get overexcited. We may have slipped the noose around and gently tightened it but we haven’t kicked out the chair.’

‘Nonetheless, I am beginning to feel that I am part of an actual conspiracy.’ She looked at him. ‘Have you done this before, off the clock?’

He leant across and kissed her. ‘Relax, Peter Parker. We’ll use our great power with great responsibility.’

‘I see, and when are we planning to start?’

Kent sat back and drummed his fingers on the desk. ‘The issue we need to determine is how we will react when the issue is raised.’

Sue licked her fingertips. ‘You are on record as recommending that child care _not_ be a policy she concentrate on. Didn’t you say that children are without any value?’

_‘Politically,_ ’ he said firmly, ‘that was all. The polls did not support her policy emphasis. Nonetheless, I did say that and she is likely to remember.’

Sue gave it some thought. ‘And the polls now support child care? Provided that she understands the numbers have changed then she will not be surprised that your advice has altered.’ She shrugs easily. ‘I don’t believe that she expects you to hold any firm political views.’

He rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. ‘Good. Good, that sounds reasonable.’

The door rattled and then a female voice swore loudly.

‘POTUS,’ Sue said with a sigh.

‘You locked her out.’

Sue rolled her eyes as she went to open the door. She returned to her seat as Selina stalked into the room.

‘Well isn’t this fucking cosy?’

Kent picked up a jerked chicken wing. Selina snapped it out of his hand.

‘Christ that’s good. I could eat a fucking horse,’ she said through a mouthful of food.

‘Make a note to bring some next time,’ he said to Sue.

She narrowed her eyes playfully.

‘What did you want, Ma’am?’ Kent asked. ‘Apart from wishing to eat my lunch.’

‘San Francisco,’ she said.

‘You’re there next week,’ Sue said. She wasn’t looking forward to it. She had not developed any appreciation for time alone while he was away working.

Selina waved a hand. ‘Why aren’t I going on that show? Your nephew’s. Apparently he’s fucking huge in syndication and one of those tasters.’

‘Do you mean a tastemaker?’ He ignored her answering glare.

‘Whatever.’

‘He is, politically and socially to some degree,’ he said cautiously.

‘Why haven’t I been booked for that show?’ Selina insisted.

‘Because Jack hates politicians and he never endorses. He’s a former police officer with no journalistic training which means he approach interviews more like interrogations. He absolutely would have an agenda and he would have every scrap of research he could possibly find. While he’s more than willing to have politicians on his show he’s an expert at sandbagging. He can also be voluble and forceful in countering any points he doesn’t agree with,’ Kent said. ‘Furthermore it’s a call-in show and although they cut off callers who are verbally abusive they encourage dissenting opinions as it makes for good radio.’ Kent shrugged. ‘Jack has been verbally attacked by furious or otherwise hostile callers on numerous occasions and it’s _his_ show. Imagine what they would do to you?’

Selina’s hand twitched. Sue remembered the email from the radio station. She had a horrible premonition.

‘Thornhill’s doing it,’ Selina said after a moment.

‘Then either they haven’t done their research or he’s an even bigger and more arrogant ass than I thought,’ Kent said.

‘Okay. Good talk,’ Selina said, sweeping out of the room.

As the door shot Kent looked at Sue. ‘Ten dollars that she’s already agreed to the show.’

‘I’m not taking that bet.’


	10. A Petting Zoo In The Oval Office

 

Sue was cooking, not something that she did much of since she had moved in with Kent. It wasn’t that she had a strong dislike of the task but she had no great enthusiasm for it either. Kent seemed to honestly enjoy it and so she was happy enough to let him. She did what cleaning up afterwards was necessary, given that he generally tidied as he went along, and considered it a fair bargain.

Neither of them did any other housework. The building had a daily cleaning service who were very thorough and extremely reliable. Her mother would claim to be disgusted at the appalling laziness. Sue thought it extremely sensible. They had very little free time and she had no inclination to spend it doing chores if it wasn’t necessary to.

She was cooking because she had left Kent at the White House with a distressing amount of work still to do. Her first impulse had been to make swordfish puttanesca but fish was still occasionally presenting her with problems. Instead she was making rösti casserole with baked eggs. It was hearty food. She hoped it would be a variety of comfort food. He had come out of a strategy meeting with Selina looking distinctly harassed. She didn’t know if Mike had got up the nerve to tell him that they had already received press requests to interview him. It was unfortunate. Sue would have enjoyed being interviewed but it was explicitly ruled out by her contract, and in any event would be considered inappropriate. Her understanding was that Kent  _could_ , and from time to time Ben had. She suspected that Kent would rather walk over hot coals. A somewhat perverse part of her thought that it would be potentially illuminating to see how well he could master the presentational skills and verbal gymnastics he expected of Selina.

She heard the door open just as she was putting the food out. As he went through to the bedroom she poured him a glass of wine and herself a glass of sparkling pear juice. She was just putting the finishing touches to the table when he wandered in.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, looking at the carefully prepared food, ‘I seem to have come in through the door to the nineteen-fifties.’

‘Do not cheek me, Mr. Davison,’ Sue said. ‘Feminism means a woman has the choice to be a domestic goddess or not. It doesn’t mean that she can’t be.’

‘Well, you can choose the flavour of deity if not fact of it,’ he said, coming around to kiss her on the cheek.

The settled down at the table and Sue took a sip of her juice. ‘Is there something wrong with the food? You seem somewhat annoyed.’  

Kent shook his head. ‘The food looks wonderful.’

Sue waited. He sighed.

‘I’m not annoyed.’

‘Then what?’

Kent played with his fork. ‘You made lunch.’

Sue waited but nothing else appeared to be forthcoming. ‘I did.’ She took a bite of her food. ‘I’m going to need a hint, Kent.’

He shrugged, apparently unable or unwilling to meet her gaze. ‘I’m going to sound foolish or borderline neurotic. I don’t much enjoy either sensation.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘Borderline neurotic is certainly not something I would have ever accused you of being.’

‘Nonetheless.’

Sue reached over and put her hand over his. ‘If it’s bothering you then I want to know.’

Kent scratched his forehead with his free hand. ‘Relationships need to have a certain equilibrium if they’re to survive. If one or both parties feel that they’re doing more than their fair share, or that they’re bringing more to the table, then it sets up festering resentment.’ He sat back in his chair. ‘I’m acutely aware that I’m older than you; that I’m less sociable, that I’m on the downswing of my career while you’re approaching your peak. I’m aware that I’m not a… warm man. I don’t have a particularly demonstrative nature. The ways that I can attempt to gain equanimity with you are extremely limited.’

Sue took a bite of food. ‘Are you saying that you wish I hadn't cooked, and that I hadn't made lunch, because you feel that you are in some way not meeting your responsibilities?’

‘In short.’

‘This is a relationship, Kent, not a contract negotiation,’ she said. ‘However, you are not alone in worrying about maintaining a balance.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘You are alone in thinking that the problem is that _you_ aren’t taking your share of the load.’

He looked at her for a long moment. ‘Is this going to be about money?’

‘Please don’t use that tone. Not when I heard out your issue.’

‘Apologies,’ he said, settling a little. ‘I suppose the issue is a somewhat sore one.’

Sue crossed her legs. ‘Not only for you. Your mother warned me that you could be paternalistic regarding money. She did not exaggerate.’

When he blushed, the colour faded almost immediately, but when he was angry the colour stayed stubbornly. The redness in his cheeks actually appeared to be deepening very slightly by the moment.

‘Paternalistic.’ It was almost a growl. ‘Are you accusing me of being patriarchal or simply sexist?’

Sue bit back her reply and took a drink. ‘You treat payment of bills and looking after the household accounts as your personal province.’

‘I earn more money than you do. There’s no need for you to concern yourself with it.’

Sue rolled her eyes. ‘There. That attitude is precisely my point. I will decide what I concern myself with. I’m not asking for a fifty-fifty split. I realise that isn’t practical or realistic. I suspect that I would struggle to pay half the rent for the apartment, let alone anything else.’ Sue tapped her fork on the plate. ‘You set up a college account for _our_ child without discussion.’

Kent looked down at his plate. ‘That was wrong.’ He sighed and rubbed his forehead. ‘Sue, you spend all day dealing with a thousand and one details.’ He looked at her. ‘I only wanted you to be able to come home and not worry about anything. That’s all. I merely desired to relieve you of a burden.’

Sue finished her food. It wasn’t much of a surprise or, in her opinion, much of an excuse. But it was clearly honestly meant. ‘Has it occurred to you that when I do things like making lunch or cooking dinner I am also attempting to relieve a burden from you?’

He shook his head. ‘I can’t say that it did. I’m not accounting for myself very well, am I?’

‘You want to take care of me.’ Gentle, reassuring. ‘I understand that.’

‘I didn’t mean to make you feel excluded nonetheless I can see that I have.’ Kent put his hand on her knee. ‘Can we compromise?’

‘I welcome it.’

***

‘I like your hair,’ Kent said.

Sue put the wig on the stand and straightened it with her fingers. It had been expensive to match it to her own hair style but she was happy with the effect. Her own hair had been cut very short, and allowed to regain its natural texture.

‘Stop looking,’ Sue said. She drew the curtains and climbed into bed.

‘You’re a cruel woman.’ He rolled onto his side and slipped his hand onto her waist.  

‘That’s the way you prefer me.’

***

Sue had barely taken off her coat when Kent called her into his office. It was still early and there was only a skeleton staff. She closed the door behind her as he turned up the sound on his computer.

‘What are we doing?’

‘Listening to Thornhill’s interview from last night,’ he said. ‘I’m told on good authority that it was a disaster of epic proportions.’

Sue settled down. ‘Has she heard it yet?’

‘I doubt it.’

If Sue had a favourite part of the interview it was the moment when, as Thornhill stumbled to escape a viciously verbal trap, the interviewer demanded to know how he thought he could ever deal with rogue states and terrorist threats when he couldn’t even deal with an interview. She hadn't had the pleasure of meeting this particular nephew and the thickness of his accent had been quite surprising. Kent hadn’t exaggerated his aggressiveness.

Sue was in rather a good mood that morning. She hadn’t realised how much the money situation had been bothering her until they thrashed it out. She was sat at her desk arranging the details of the trip to San Francisco next week. She’d never much thought about visiting San Francisco but the more she looked at hotels overlooking the bay or with a view of the ocean the more she thought she was considering it. Perhaps it was something they could consider for a weekend break.

Then Selina swept in, all frantic babble and windmill hands. Dan was already talking, and already being overruled.

‘You’re the one who got me into this, Dan. Other people warned me but oh no. I listened to you, buster, and now I’m in this mess.’

Amy folded her arms across her chest. ‘Ma’am, what’s happening?’

Selina snapped her fingers. ‘Get Kent in here, and Mike. Maybe this is the one topic Mike might actually have some fucking insight into. What’re you doing standing there, Dan, jump to it!’

As Dan scrambled away, Amy sidled over to Sue.

‘Do you know what she’s upset about?’

‘I suspect it’s the interview with the radio station.’

‘Who the fuck listens to radio any more? What’s she going to do next, make a speech in fucking Morse code?’ Amy demands. She chewed her thumb. ‘So why’s she going nuts about it?’

Selina spun around suddenly. ‘If you were doing your fucking job, Amy, you would know exactly why I’m feeling screwed over. I had to hear about this from Jonah. _Jonah_. Do you know how humiliating it is to have to rely on that fucking _asshole_ for information?’ She narrowed her eyes at Sue. ‘Did you know about this?’

‘Ma’am?’

‘This fucking Thornhill interview situation.’

‘I listened to it this morning,’ Sue admitted.

‘You hear that, Amy? Sue listened to the damn interview. She’s more on the fucking ball about these things then you are.’ She tapped her foot while Kent entered the room with Dan and then Mike shambled into the bullpen and sat down at his desk. Selina glared at him for a moment before dismissing him from her mind.

‘Thornhill just did an interview with a radio station in San Francisco, Selina said, ‘and-’

‘Oh, the _Midnight Caller_ call-in?’ Mike said. 'That was amazing, especially when Clara called him a degenerate pervert who should be kept away from women and impressionable young men.’

Selina stared at him. ‘What?’

‘Clara’s this nutty old lady. She calls up every so often ranting about strays trying to fuck her pet dog and just randomly ranting about sex,’ Mike explained.

Kent shifted position. ‘So when they chose to put her on the air with Thornhill, it’s reasonable to assume they knew what to expect from her.’

‘That’s mean,’ Gary said, shocked.

‘Their primary concern is good radio, not pushing any politician’s agenda,’ Kent said.

‘Crazy sex obsessed little old lady versus politician,’ Dan said admiringly. ‘Wish we’d thought of it.’

Selina waved a hand. ‘How the fuck do you know about this, Mike?’

‘I always listen to the podcast,’ he said meekly.

‘Why the fuck are you listening to some rinky-dink local radio show?’ Dan asked. ‘Did you finally run out of gramophone needles?’

‘It’s syndicated,’ Kent said, ‘not local in terms of reach although arguably in interest. It’s consistently the most listened to show in San Francisco despite being on-air between midnight and three a.m. It usually scores top ten in California and top twenty across the country.’ Kent folded his arms. ‘Not rinky-dink. Furthermore, Thornhill’s ratings have plummeted since the mauling he got.’

‘That’s good for us, right?’ Amy asked.

‘It would be. Ames, if some jackass hadn’t arranged for me l go on the same show,’ Selina said, throwing a plastic cup at Dan.

He awkwardly caught the cup. ‘It’s the graveyard slot. It makes no sense that it’s a big deal.’

Mike sniggered. ‘Not a big deal. He’s won shit you know, for doing reports from inside a bank heist, and a prison riot. He went out on a street corner with a load of protesters and read out of the number plates of drug dealers.’

‘Why’s a radio host going into prison riots?’ Gary asked.

Amy waved a hand. 'This isn’t the asshole who went into a hostage thing and freed a Colombian embassy worker?’

‘Yes,’ Kent said.

‘He got a death wish?’ Dan asked.

‘Quite possibly.’

Selina sat on Sue’s desk. ‘Help me out people. I don’t want to get eaten alive on radio. Kent, he’s your nephew. There must be something we can use.’

Sue folded her hands as Kent tried to think of something. She suspected that what conversations they had, avoided politics.

‘He’s broadly left wing, big on social responsibility, a practising Catholic but advocates gay rights, he’s also generally pro law and order. He’s an ex-cop and still strongly identifies with the police. He’s campaigned against homelessness and city corruption.’

‘Women’s rights,’ Mike said. ‘He had that boss who was pregnant and he was very you know... hands on helping her with Lamaze? And last week he was bitching how other countries give a ton of mandatory parental leave and we don’t.’

Dan clapped his hands together. ‘We could use that, Ma’am, you remember what I said about the forums and the social media crap building up about child care?’

‘Oh sure, I’ll just snap my fingers and get a fucking bill through and by next week. Why didn’t I think of that?’

Dan spread his hands out. ‘A token gesture to ward off the cries of hypocrisy and shut up the radio host.’

Amy rolled her eyes. ‘What do you suggest, Dan, childcare in the White House? Maybe we could get a petting zoo in the Oval Office.’

Sue daren’t look up from her keyboard. She had no doubt that her face would give her away.

Selina rubbed her forehead. ‘We do _have_ childcare, right?’

‘We do not.’ Kent’s voice. There was a tiny tremor there that was almost imperceptible to anyone not closely listening. He didn’t have the luxury of avoiding looking at anyone.

‘Oh don’t give me that fucking face, we know how you think about children,’ Selina said sharply. ‘I suppose you’re going to tell me that we should ignore the tweeter and the tumbling because your damn polls don’t care.’

Now Sue looked up. Evidently any failings of his as an actor had been covered by Selina’s assumptions. She watched him ignoring the contempt in order to concentrate on the question. Sue made a mental note to add Selina to her list of people requiring _correction_.

‘Ma’am if attitudes were static then we would only ever need to poll once,’ he said. ‘I’m sure you’re aware that our latest polls have shown a gradual but distinct slide in favour of child care. Whether that movement will increase, or remain static, or even revert is impossible to foresee.’ Kent brushed his fingers through his hair. ‘A _small_ gesture in favour of child care would certainly seem justified by the numbers.’

‘Fuck small, get it done, and get it done quick,’ Selina said. ‘I want to announce in on the show, so do whatever voodoo you gotta do to make it work and without it costing the earth.’

‘I’ll help,’ Mike offered. ‘Maybe we can get some of those interns to lend a hand.’

Dan looked at him. ‘Did you just volunteer? What the fuck is wrong with you?’

‘It’s a good cause,’ Mike protested.

Selina stood up and straightened her skirt. ‘There’s no extra money in it, Mike. You get that?’ She turned on her heel. ‘Sue, come into the office.’

‘Of course, Ma’am,’ Sue said, standing up. She hadn’t been entirely thrilled with Selina’s tone. She caught Kent’s eye as she turned to follow Selina.

‘Shut the door and sit down,’ Selina ordered.

Sue did as she was ordered. She smoothed her skirt as Selina leant back against the desk.

‘That’s a nice outfit, Sue,’ she said.

‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ she said cautiously.

Selina folded her arms. ‘I remember when I was first getting into politics it was fucking ridiculous. All these asshole old white men who absolutely did not want to let women into their country club. It was hard, you know, and then I got pregnant with Catherine and didn’t that _just_ prove everything they thought about women. That I was just making time until I had babies; all that shit. I waited as long as possible before I told anyone. Got all my plans in place.’ Selina scratched her eyebrow. ‘I’m I absolutely fucking _awesome_ at dressing to hide a baby bump.’

Sue just managed to keep her gaze, although she couldn’t quite stop herself from folding her arms across her chest.

‘Is there something you want to tell me, Sue?’ Selina asked. ‘No, let me rephrase that. Is there something that you _should_ tell me that so far you haven’t?’

‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Sue said. ‘I’m pregnant.’

 

 


	11. Drive it Until You Own it

‘I fucking knew it,’ Selina said. ‘I can’t believe you’d do this to me, Sue. Right in the middle of the campaign. What were you thinking? Did you think about me at all when you were deciding to get reproducing all willy-nilly?’

Sue shook her head. ‘No, Ma’am, I didn’t think about you when we were having sex.’

‘Don’t give me that! You know exactly what I mean!’ Selina slapped her hand on the desk. ‘This could not have come at a worst time. I cannot believe that you would be so selfish. I suppose Kent’s going to be flaking out on me as well.’

Sue took a slow breath. ‘Ma’am, I was on the pill and Kent had a vasectomy. I believe that we took reasonable precautions, as I am sure you were doing when _you_ found yourself pregnant a few years ago.’ Her calm and controlled tone did not betray her rising annoyance.

‘We’re not talking about me!’ She leant forward slightly. ‘Really, snipped and on the pill?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s crazy,’ Selina said, shaking her head. 

‘And yet,’ Sue said with a shrug. ‘Ma’am, I intended to inform you once we had finalised our arrangements. That is all I have to say on the matter.’

Selina’s eyebrows reached her hairline. ‘Oh, that’s all you have to say? Fuck the campaign, fuck your responsibilities, fuck his responsibilities, as long as you get to do what you wanna do.’

‘You do.’

Selina opened and closed her mouth. ‘Wow, you have some fucking nerve, Sue.’

‘Ma’am, I have done nothing wrong. This is not medieval Europe and you are not the queen. I do not need your permission to have a child. If you are concerned that our work will suffer then you have a peculiar way of inspiring loyalty and motivating hard work.’

‘So you are planning on continuing to work?’ Selina asked, calm down a little bit.

‘I was,’ Sue said.

‘How far along?’

‘Six months.’

‘Six months! How much longer were you planning on keeping this to yourself?’ Selina demanded. ‘Were you going to give birth at your desk? Just wipe the kid off and get him signed up as an intern!’ She paused. ‘Him? Her?’

Sue shook her head. ‘We decided that we would rather not know in advance.’

‘God, why?’ Selina asked. ‘Knowing is great.’

‘Kent has a particularly strong preference. We thought that, rather than find out and risk months of disappointment, it would be better not to know. It seems likely that once the oxytocin kicks in after the birth he won’t mind either way.’

‘Wants to pass on the family name, huh?’ Sue snorted.

‘If fact, he would very much like a daughter,’ Sue admitted.

‘Jesus, really?’ Selina shook her head. ‘Wouldn’t have seen that coming.’

‘He likes women better than men. He relates to us more easily and forms closer relationships with women than with men,’ Sue said.

Selina’s ruffled feathers settled a little more. ‘I suppose you’ve looking for someone already.’

‘Someone?’

Selina sat down in the chair opposite Sue. She took off her shoes and scrunched her toes in the carpet. ‘Catherine was unplanned,’ she said. ‘Didn’t mean we didn’t sweat blood over the right nannies, the right schools, everything that we could do to possibly give her the best start in life.’

Sue felt herself relax a notch or two. It was a topic which had provided an ongoing anxiety and at a greater level than she could have anticipated. When she was not thinking about material issues such as schooling she was wondering if she would be able to provide emotionally.

‘Here’s my problem, Sue,’ Selina said, ‘you want the best for your baby, okay, fine. Meanwhile, I’m getting buried in the shit by this child care thing. I’m going to be announcing day care here, Sue, and you’re running around looking for a nanny. Do you have any idea how fucking embarrassing that would be?’

‘Embarrassing,’ Sue said, trying not to react.

Selina leant forward. ‘You have to take one for the team. You gotta use the child care. Depending on the timing you might have to be the face of it, humanise the whole thing. That’s all there is to it. We all gotta grit our teeth and touch our toes when the time comes, Sue, and it’s your turn.’

***

Kent was still hanging around in the bullpen when Sue emerged from the Oval Office. He was deep in conversation with Amy but was keeping an eagle eye on the door. Sue sat down at her desk. It was still early, too early for a coffee break. It would have to wait. That was all.

Sue was knee deep in the minutia of rules and regulations concerning workplace child care when Amy stomped over and leant on the desk.

‘Five minutes, my office, no excuses,’ Amy hissed.

Sue sighed as she watched Amy stalk away. The day had started so well. She took off her shoes and rubbed her feet. They were starting to swell up, which was a dreadful waste of good shoes in her personal opinion. Buying new shoes, like buying new clothes, had largely become a chore rather than a pleasure. She was mentally counting down the days until the spa visit that Kent had booked. She was going to need as much bolstering as possible before she visited her mother. They had agreed that it was best to break the news in person, particularly given that they had waited so long. That she had chosen to wait so long.

She pulled on her shoes and went to beard Amy in her den. Amy’s office was distinctly impersonal and, to Sue’s eye, largely unused. Amy was wherever Selina was, more or less, much as Gary was. Now she was sitting at her desk looking extremely irritated.

‘I have had my fill of being yelled at, Amy,’ she said, taking a seat. ‘I am also extremely busy.’

‘I don’t need handouts, Sue, okay? I deserve chief of staff. I don’t need table scraps.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘I know you put him up to it.’

‘I’m too busy for guessing games.’

‘Kent asked me to help out with some of Ben’s stuff,’ Amy said, flipping a pen between her fingers with such speed that Sue was sure it was going to fly right out and smack into the wall. ‘Which is bullshit. He doesn’t ask me for help. If he had scut work then he’d assign it to one of his dream metric minions or an intern.’

Sue nodded as she stood up. ‘Office politics are important as well as ability, Amy, and you need to change Selina’s perception of you. I asked Kent to assist you in that. He thought that you would not welcome any assistance. I see that he was correct.’

Amy threw down the pen. ‘I don’t need his help and I don’t need your help. Okay? I have gotten to where I am by myself and I will get where I want to by myself.’

‘Message received.’

***

They took a late lunch at a busy, crowded restaurant near the White House. It did nothing for Sue’s inflamed temper, not even when several tourists recognised her from the news and whispered loudly among themselves. She tore apart a bread roll as they waited for their food to be delivered.

‘I’ve located three possible locations for the day care,’ Kent volunteered.

Sue forced herself to look at him and to relax. ‘I spent a good amount of the morning being yelled at. I did not enjoy it.’

‘What can I do?’

‘Nothing that wouldn’t land us both in Guantanamo Bay.’ She threw herself back in her chair and let out a breath.

‘Might be worth it.’

Sue lent forward and kissed him. ‘Tell me about the locations you’ve found.’

He shrugged. ‘All within five minutes brisk walk of your desk. They’ll all need considerable work to convert but nothing beyond the bounds of the possible. Given POTUS’s _enthusiastic_ endorsement I believe that I can corral enough assistance from the interns to have my preferred choice ready within a few weeks.’

‘And staff?’

‘We’ll begin putting out adverts in the next few days.’ He tickled her hand with his fingers. ‘I assume that you will want to have significant input there.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I spoke to Amy,’ he said. ‘She did not seem keen.’

Sue rolled her eyes. ‘She complained quite vociferously.’

‘It’s impossible to make people accept help. No matter how much you want it or they need it,’ he said gently. ‘I left the offer there.’

‘Thank you for that.’  

‘What did Selina want?’

‘She knows,’ Sue said. ‘Words were exchanged. Then she told me that it was necessary I “take one for the team” by using the proposed day care facility rather than a nanny.’ She threw a piece of bread into the bowl. ‘I find myself annoyed for getting precisely what I wished for.’

‘Words were exchanged?’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Do not scold me.’

Kent held up his hands. ‘I only sought information.’ He paused as the server brought their food. ‘She assumed a nanny?’

Sue opened the mustard jar, opened it, and spooned mustard on her fries. ‘Poor Catherine doubtless had a succession of them.’ She added some salsa.

Kent stirred himself from his mesmerised inspection of her fries. ‘It would explain a great deal. What did you tell her?’

‘That I would consider the issue.’ She delicately lifted one of her fries and popped it into her mouth. ‘If she speaks to you behind my back, what will you say?’

He blinked. ‘That would be repugnant. I wouldn’t discuss it.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, relaxing finally. ‘At least she assumed your paternity.’

‘In fairness to Ben, he is harbouring the hope that you might come to your senses.’ Kent took a bite of his food. ‘I am confident that is the only reason he asked.’

Sue shook her head. ‘He told me that you couldn’t do better than me and that I couldn’t do worse than you.’

‘Uncharacteristically erudite. Did he find it on a quote-a-day calendar?’

‘Quite possibly.’

Sue would have liked to slip off her shoes and put her feet up on his lap. Naturally that was impossible in such a crowded place. Belatedly she wondered about the inquisitive tourists and if they watched her kiss him. He would not appreciate having a photograph of _that_ splashed on TMZ. She knew that he was waiting for their impromptu fame to pass with something close to impatience.

Sue’s cell rang loudly. She frowned as she checked the screen.

‘Not POTUS?’

‘According to the caller ID it’s Sean.’

It took him a moment to place the name and when he did he frowned. ‘Your ex?’

She looked at him. She could just hear the noise in the back of his throat. It was quiet but it was certainly a growl. When he did that, and it wasn’t often enough for her, it felt like he breathed on the nape of her neck. It made the hairs rise and a delicate little shiver run down her spine.  

The cell stopped ringing for a moment, and she slipped it into her pocket, but then it began ringing again.

‘He’s persistent,’ she said.

Kent scowled. ‘You might as well answer it. Or he’s going to ruin lunch.’

Sue kept the conversation short. Sean wanted to meet and was quite insistent about it. That annoyed her enough to put him on hold while she decided what to do.

‘Make him take you for a very expensive meal,’ Kent advised in an unusually gravelly voice.

She smiled at that. ‘He owes me significant compensation. Wouldn’t you mind?’

‘I can hardly complain.’

‘Because of Charlie?’

He nodded. ‘I don’t like it but I trust you.’

Sean didn’t like being told he had to take her to dinner, let alone the restaurant she specified, but she gave him no choice. She terminated the call and pushed the cell deep into her bag.

‘Regarding Selina, there’s something else,’ Sue said. ‘She suggested that I might be the face of the White House child care.’

Her timing was unfortunate, he had a mouthful of food. He certainly didn’t choke on the food but he did cough a little before he swallowed it.

‘She said that?’

Sue nodded and watched him wipe his mouth with a napkin. He sat back and quickly scanned the room to see if they were being watched or overheard.

‘An unmarried woman?’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘You did not just say that.’

‘My thoughts on the matter aren’t the issue. We’re talking about promoting a political issue in the context of a world in which certain states require vaginal ultrasounds, or written paternal permission, before abortions can be performed. Where announcing that women should be paid less than men is somehow not an issue that renders you unelectable. Reason is an unreasonable response to unreasonable people.’

Sue winced. ‘I have no desire to become a political football.’

‘Aside from that you would be agreeable to be the “face” of the policy?’

‘I don’t entirely share your dislike of publicity.’

‘You don’t dislike it at all,’ Kent said dryly. ‘I’m quite surprised that you haven’t been giving interviews left and right.’

‘Ask human resources to alter my contract terms and I will.’ She took a sip of water. ‘Regarding my being unmarried, the issue could be resolved quite simply.’

‘It could.’

‘Don’t pretend that isn’t your preference.’ Sue scowled at him playfully. ‘You’re old fashioned.’

Kent shrugged and pushed his food around his plate with his fork. ‘The race between marriage and birth has been going on for hundreds of years. It’s scarcely anything new.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I am merely reminded of a piece of advice my father gave me.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘I am intrigued.’

‘He said if you’ve stolen a BMW, drive it until you own it.’

Sue blinked. ‘I have no idea what that means.’

Kent scratched his forehead. ‘It means that I believe Ben is essentially correct. Self-interest suggests that I should marry you as soon as possible.’ The corner of his mouth curved up slightly.  ‘Before you realise the error that you’ve made.’

Sue allowed herself a smile. ‘I see your point. I do not agree with it but I understand it.’ She finished her food. ‘Your family will likely imagine that I am intent on getting a ring onto _your_ finger before _you_ realise your error.’

He winced. ‘By which you mean my mother.’

‘True, Jerry and Jackson were both charming in their own unique ways,’ she teased.

Kent frowned at her. ‘Certainly neither of them comported themselves in quite the same way as your nearest and dearest.’

‘You win,’ she admitted. ‘You are aware, of course, that arranging a wedding can potentially be a deeply complex affair more in keeping with military manoeuvres.’

‘Were you hoping for a castle in Europe?’

‘No, but I would prefer to avoid Elvis in Vegas.’

Kent’s face twitched. ‘Agreed.’

‘Did _you_ want a castle?’

He hesitated, only a moment but it was a distinct pause. ‘No, and I certainly don’t need hundreds of people there or a three week honeymoon.’

‘But?’

‘I only intend to marry once. I would like some family, somewhere dignified, without it being some ridiculous production.’

‘Perhaps in a garden or the grounds of a historical building?’

Kent nodded. ‘Formalwear.’

‘Certainly.’ Sue crossed her legs. ‘I will need some tailoring on any dress.’

He smiled slightly. ‘You’ll look beautiful.’

Sue felt her cheeks warm. ‘Don’t grow sentimental on me, Mr. Davison.’

‘Never.’ He set his shoulders. ‘Not everyone from work. I understand you will want Amy there.’

Sue nodded. ‘Nobody else. Understood.’

‘Shall I look at dates?’

‘I’ll do it.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘You can hardly be expected to do your job, Ben’s job, implement day care in the White House, _and_ arrange a wedding. Be realistic.’

Kent stood up a moment before she did, and pulled out her chair. ‘One more thing to tell my mother this weekend.’

‘Count your blessings,’ she said. ‘At least you will not be dealing with my mother.’

 

 


	12. Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat.

Sue woke up in cooling bath water. Her fingertips were crinkled, she must have fallen asleep quite a while ago. She drained the water and heaved herself out of the bath. Although she knew objectively that she was entirely healthy she _felt_ like an elephant. She stood in front of the full-length mirror, she had brought it with her as Kent had only one smallish one, and scowled at herself. The swelling looked oddly firm, as if she had swallowed a bowling ball, or had been inflated like a balloon. She patted herself dry and rubbed lanolin into her stomach and breasts, checking in the mirror for signs of stretch marks. When Kent had seen the bottle in the bathroom he had made an arch comment about not realising sheep smelled so good. When she was done, Sue washed her hands and patted herself with the towel again before she put on her pyjamas. They were soft and comfortable, which was one more reason for her to put on her wig, pluck her eyebrows, and put on a quick coating of clear mascara. She was aware that to someone else the entire procedure might seem faintly ridiculous. Nonetheless, Sue had her pride and besides she was extremely aware of how easy it would be to allow her standards to slip as her body changed.

Kent was sat watching the news when she walked into the living room. He looked around when he heard the door shut and then made room for her on the couch.

‘Good bath?’

‘I fell asleep.’

‘I wondered but when I knocked on the door you answered.’ He thumped one of the pillows into submission and gently put it behind her.

Sue sat back and put her feet up on the footstool. ‘I don’t remember that. I hope I haven’t started talking in my sleep.’

‘Answering in your sleep would be quite impressive.’ He stroked the back of her neck with his fingers. ‘Shall I put something else on?’

Sue lent against him. ‘What’s this story about?’

He glanced at the television. ‘It’s the funeral of that army nurse. There are protesters.’

‘The idiots who protest army funerals?’ Sue asked.

Kent groaned. ‘Possibly they’re around, but these are people protesting against her treatment. At least that’s how it would appear from the signs.’

‘I considered the army as a career,’ Sue said.

He looked at her. ‘I could see that. Did you decide against it?’

‘I did. My research indicated that the biases against both my gender and my heritage would likely prevent me from meeting my potential.’ She gestured at the report still on the television. ‘If I were researching it now then the army’s poor dealing of rape accusations would be a primary concern.’

‘We send these people in constant danger, encourage them to dehumanise not only the enemy but anyone who isn’t part of their immediate group, and then we fail to provide the necessary support for the inevitable failures and breakdowns.’

Sue looked at him. ‘There is no excuse for raping someone. There is no excuse for senior officers covering that rape up. There is no excuse for the survivor of that rape being driven to suicide.’

He waved his hands. ‘You are deliberately misunderstanding me. There are no excuses. There are however contributory factors and as a society it should be beholden on us to eliminate those contributory factors, not for the perpetrators but for the victims.’

‘Survivors,’ Sue said, still annoyed. ‘Not victims.’

He blinked and then nodded. ‘As you say.’

She smiled unwillingly when he took her hand.

‘Forgive me for I am old and set in my ways,’ he said.

‘You are not old and you are perfectly capable of adapting.’ She gently pinched his hand. ‘You merely chose not to.’ She smiled. ‘Not something unique to you.’

‘It worries me,’ Kent admitted. ‘All the things that I never thought about growing up.’

Sue shrugged. ‘That you didn’t think about them didn’t mean that they weren’t an issue. I can’t believe that things are worse than they were twenty or thirty or forty years ago. It’s simply that we hear about them more often.’

‘You’re right.’ He twisted around to face her. ‘Every statistic, every piece of data accumulated, suggests that in the US things are gradually growing better.’ He put his hand on her stomach. ‘Knowing that does nothing to alleviate my concern.’

Sue kissed him gently. ‘May we look forward to you protesting on the streets?’

‘I am fortunate that I have other alternatives. Would you consider it?’

‘I have no interest in anything so inefficient. From what I have seen protesting is primarily a placebo. The protesters feel better without them actually changing anything.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘You disagree.’

‘We’re only having this conversation because of those protesters,’ he said. ‘I would argue that their protests are efficient enough.’

Sue took the remote from him and turned off the television. ‘It’s late. I’m tired. You have aroused me with your superior reasoning skills. Please take me to bed and ravish me.’

‘With pleasure.’

***

Sue was making coffee in the morning when she heard Kent’s cell ringing. He’d left it on the coffee table as he jumped in the shower. Sue checked the caller ID: ‘Station’. She called to Kent but his answer was muffled by the sound of the pounding water. So she thumbed the button and put the cell up to her ear.

Kent’s hair was still damp when he padded out of the bathroom. Lately he had begun returning from the gym and showering at home. She had insisted that he stick to his fitness regime despite the temptation to allow it to slip. It was as much for her benefit as it was for his. If he kept to his regime then she had to stick to hers. And her determination was _rigid_.

‘What were you yelling about?’ he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

‘Your cell.’ She handed it to him. ‘It was someone called “Billy”. Apparently Danny Chung is being interviewed on Monday, and _Billy_ wondered if you had any helpful tidbits.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Kent, did you give your nephew all kinds of naughty information in order to help him humiliate Thornhill?’

‘Ah,’ he said, faintly embarrassed. ‘Not Jack, he wouldn’t approve. Billy is his producer.’

‘You didn’t tell me.’

‘I wasn’t sure _you_ would approve.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘Will he attempt to do the same to Selina?’

‘Doubtless.’

‘Shouldn’t you warn her?’ It was an automatic question. She wasn’t sure if she was against Selina being taken down a few pegs.

He shrugged. ‘It’s to be expected. However our briefings will hopefully cover everything relevant.’

Sue smiled slightly. ‘Could we pass on some information about Selina?’

Kent snorted, and then touched her hand. ‘It’s not too late for me to postpone the flight. I could come with you this afternoon and fly out this evening.’

‘No.’ Sue briefly lent against him. ‘And I am certainly not going to volunteer to come with you. There’s absolutely no need for us to be miserable twice over. You tell your family. I will tell mine.’ She looked at him. ‘You don’t require your hand holding.’

‘I don’t?’

‘And neither do I. Are you packed?’

She couldn’t quite remember whose suggestion it had been to go to their families separately. Nonetheless it was logical, in a chilly sort of way, as it avoided duplication of effort. Not to mention duplication of annoyance at their relatives. No, this was far more sensible. Kent was flying to his mother’s house and would be returning tomorrow. Sue was due at _her_ mother’s at three pm and, since she had told Lenore that she had an announcement, she was fully expecting to be swimming in relatives. 

She was going to have to talk to Amy. Surely the other woman wouldn’t want to bring _Dan_ to the wedding. Sue had never understood the attraction of unsuitable men. Plenty of her family and supposed friends had sniggeringly told her that her turn would come, that she would fall for a charming but thoroughly reprehensible man who would be terribly bad news for her. As if appalling taste in men was an infectious disease you wanted to get when you were young, to build up an immunity. Not that it was an affliction only suffered by women. She had known a number of men with a similar inability to recognise when they were being used, abused, or manipulated. Gary was the first that sprang to mind but he was by no means the only one.

Sue handed Kent his coffee and sipped her own. ‘Did you ever have any wildly unsuitable girlfriends?’

He frowned slightly. ‘Where did that question come from?’

‘I was thinking about Amy dating Dan.’

‘Hmm. That would certainly count as wildly unsuitable. No, not that I recall.’ Kent shrugged sheepishly. ‘I haven’t had a great many partners.’

‘Your mother will be _thrilled_ that I’ve made the cut.’

***

Kissing Kent goodbye at the airport left Sue in a foul mood hardly helped by the looming appointment with her mother. Her visit to the spa the previous evening seemed like a faint memory. She took lunch in the café attached to a small second-hand bookstore. It wasn’t very well appointed, frankly, but Sue had a rather sentimental attachment to small, crowded bookstores. There was something about the smell of old paper that was oddly comforting. It spoke to her memories of being small and saving up her allowance to splurge on novels. After she finished her lunch, she spent a couple of hours browsing the children’s section. Far too many fluffy animals with cutesy speech patterns. She wasn’t completely opposed to anthropomorphism, but she drew the line at restricting it purely to the sugary and benign. If there were going to be cuddly wuddly rabbits then there should also be vicious predators. Beatrix Potter understood this. The world is dangerous place, for small children as well as small animals. She was rather taken with “Go the Fuck to Sleep”, although she blamed hormones for the fact that “Voices in The Park” made her tearful. Yes. Definitely hormones and nothing else.

Judging by the cars parked outside, Lenore had invited all of Sue’s step-siblings. Predictable but no less disappointing for it. There were moments when she wondered if there had ever been an opportunity for a less… combative relationship with her mother. She wasn’t sure if Lenore had anything but combative relationships. It wasn’t necessarily an entirely bad thing. Sue had been raised knowing how to stand up for herself and she had nothing but gratitude for that.

Nonetheless, she took a deep breath as she knocked on the door. It was a moment before Lenore answered. A moment in which she looked out through the peephole and doubtless began speculating about Kent’s absence.

‘I don’t know how you can be so…’ Lenore narrowed her eyes. ‘How pregnant are you?’

‘Six months.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you intending on leaving me on the doorstep all afternoon?’

Lenore tutted loudly and ushered Sue through to the kitchen, away from the living room with all the chattering family.

‘So he’s left you has he? I have a good lawyer.’ Lenore poured herself a generous glass of gin. ‘That’s his baby?’

Sue pushed herself up onto a stool. ‘Your faith is me is always an inspiration. Kent and I are engaged. He is at his mother’s, informing her of that and that I’m pregnant.’

‘Frightened to introduce you to her is he?’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘We have already been introduced. She is a charming woman.’

‘For an old lady. What is she, ninety?’ Lenore sucked her teeth. ‘I suppose there’s good genes if she lived that long already.’

‘Late seventies,’ Sue corrected. She opened the refrigerator and took out a plate of cold cuts and some bread to make a sandwich. ‘She does seem to be in robust health.’

Lenore narrowed her eyes and tapped her foot on the floor. ‘She doesn’t like you.’

‘Caitlyn is concerned that I might be taking advantage of Kent.’

Lenore nodded and put the coffee on. ‘Are you?’

‘No.’ There was no temptation to explain herself. Lenore would not approve of any declarations of affection. She would most likely prefer that Sue _were_ using him for his resources. She would probably consider it very practical.

‘He can support you and the baby I trust?’ Lenore prompted.

Sue sighed slightly. ‘He could if required. I will not be giving up work.’

‘In my day we raised our children ourselves. We didn’t hand them off to strangers.’

‘This is not your day,’ Sue said. ‘My staying at home would not be in anyone’s bests interests. I am mature enough to acknowledge that. My child will have every advantage that we can provide.’

Lenore scowled. ‘And the wedding? It might take you months to lose the baby weight. If you ever do. You thought that your breasts were beginning to sag before but wait until you’ve been breastfeeding for a few months!’

‘We are not waiting until then. We haven’t set a firm date yet but it will be soon. It will be small and private.’ Sue raised her eyebrow. ‘There is nothing for you to do but by a new outfit and boast to your friends that your daughter is marrying the senior strategist to the President. Don’t pretend that it won’t increase your cachet.’

Lenore took a big drink of her gin. ‘A tiny rushed wedding, is it? That’ll be his idea. Has he given you a prenuptial agreement yet? That’ll be next. You mark my words.’

‘A wedding is a beginning, Mom, not the end. I’ve no desire to spend a ludicrous amount of money to buy a dress I can only wear once, in front of people I’ve invited because I feel obligated, and to have completely ridiculous photographs that will only cause embarrassment when viewed in years to come. A small ceremony with the people close to us is what we both want.’

Lenore folded her arms. ‘Susie, you haven’t don’t some anything silly.’

‘Aside from perhaps mistiming my birth control, I don’t believe so. Please don’t call me, “Susie”, Mom.’

‘Pfft, I know that you are far too sensible to become pregnant to ensnare yourself a husband.’ Lenore swigged a mouthful of her gin. ‘I am more concerned that you have become _attached._ ’

Sue demolished her cold cuts. ‘Attached.’

‘Precisely.’

‘We are getting _married_. We are supposed to have an attachment.’ Sue poured herself a coffee. She was carefully monitoring her caffeine intake but had no doubt that she would need the coffee before the end of the day.

Lenore rolled her eyes. ‘Apparently you are going to make me detail it in excruciating detail.’

‘Please feel free not to.’

‘Have you fallen in love with this man?’

Sue sipped her coffee. ‘Yes. I wouldn’t marry him if I didn’t.’

***

Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat.

By the time that Sue had been through many of the same questions over and over with the rest of her family she was about ready to _walk_ all the way home. When Kent called she made her excuses and took the call in the garden.

‘This would be an apt moment for you to ride in on a white horse and rescue me,’ Sue said.

‘Would that I could. Is it that bad?’

‘It is annoying. They do not approve.’ Sue sat down on one of the ornate cast iron chairs. ‘However their attendance is not dependent on their approval.’ She closed her eyes to concentrate on the sound of his voice. ‘How is Caitlyn?’

‘Unhappy.’ Kent bit the word off. ‘I’m going to be returning this evening.’

Sue winced. ‘She took it that badly?’

‘Words were exchanged,’ he admitted. ‘My sisters took it better.’

‘Hmm. Since your mother has met me and your sisters have not, that is not reassuring.’ Sue crossed her legs. ‘Perhaps in the morning tempers will have cooled.’

‘You don’t want me home early?’

He sounded a tiny bit stung. She should have seen that coming, if he and his mother had some sort of dispute.

‘If I could have you here at this very moment I would do so,’ she said. ‘However, that would be selfish of me. Your mother’s opinion is important to you, Kent. I wouldn’t like to be the cause of a breech between you. Certainly I want you to be on good terms for the wedding.’

 ‘I don’t think that she’s going to be coming,’ he said quietly.

Sue pursed her lips. ‘Come home?’ she suggested.

‘Now?’ He sounded hopeful. 

‘Sooner if you can.’ Gentle, lightly teasing. If their disagreement had become that heated then remaining in proximity was probably not the wisest idea. Rapprochement might be better with a few days grace.

‘I’ll do my best.’ There was a rustle, probably as he moved the phone to the other ear. ‘Love you. Miss you.’

‘Love you,’ she said. ‘See you soon.’

***

 They had pizza for dinner. Sue had considered cooking something but given his reaction the last time she decided against it. So, pizza. Pizza in bed, in fact, which they had rather egged each other into. As if it were somehow deeply wicked, or at least sinful.

‘She disapproves you being in love?’ Kent asked.

‘Yes.’

‘But would be perfectly happy with your “taking advantage” of me in some way?’

‘I think that would be her preference,’ Sue agreed.

Kent licked his fingers. ‘Your mother is terrifying.’

‘She is an inspiration,’ Sue said dryly.

‘She doesn’t want you to get hurt,’ he said, looking at her.

Sue nodded. ‘I know.’ She leant against him. ‘I’m sure the same applies to your mother.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ He turned his head and kissed the side of her face.  

Sue looked at him. ‘Your mom is Catholic. Does she believe in divorce?’

He blinked. ‘Certainly not.’

‘But you and Jackson have the same father and different mothers.’

Kent groaned. ‘Our father didn’t have a monogamous bone in his body. For all I know he had a woman in every town. What’s your point?’

‘Caitlyn seems a very sensible woman. She must’ve loved him very much to have married him and then to have put up with his philandering.’ She put her hand over his. ‘Perhaps she let her heart overrule her head and is now concerned you may be doing the same. She’s only met me once. Your sisters haven’t met me at all. Now, to her mind, you are suddenly engaged and will soon be a father. It’s not entirely unreasonable for her to have concerns.’

Kent shook his head. ‘You wouldn’t be so sanguine if you knew what she’d said.’

‘But I don’t know.’ Sue twisted around to put the empty box on the floor. As she bent over she felt his hand stroke her back.

‘This doesn’t have to be a big thing.’

‘Except it is already.’ Sue sat back against the pillow. ‘In six months, or a year, or two years, you’ll regret not dealing with this.’ She pushed her fingers through his hair. ‘I don’t want you to resent me.’ She kissed him. ‘So make up with your mother.’

‘Is that an order?’ he murmured, gently pulling her down to the mattress.

‘Certainly not.’

‘Spoilsport.’

 

 


	13. Commonplace Miracles

Sue was enjoying lunching while it was still a simple option. She had no illusions that, come the baby’s arrival, going to lunch would require planning on a par with a trip to the arctic. She met Amy in a new Mexican restaurant that Mike had been talking about visiting, if he could only get a reservation. Sue was not a woman to allow herself to be intimidated by any mere reservations clerk, however easily Mike was deferred.

‘I hope this place has some kind of bottomless salad or some shit,’ Amy said, as she yanked out her chair. ‘Because I could eat a fucking elephant and the rest of the damn circus too.’

‘Hello to you too.’ Sue opened up her menu. ‘I’ve ordered you some wine.’

‘The sooner you can drink again the better.’ Amy flicked a lock of hair out of her face. ‘I am tired of drinking on my own.’

‘Dan not up to the task?’

Amy dumped her handbag on the floor and unbuttoned her jacket. ‘I’m not dating Dan.’

‘You’re sleeping with him.’

‘But not _dating_ ,’ Amy said. ‘We don’t go to dinner or the movies or any of that shit. We just fuck.’

‘Good.’ Sue paused at the server came by with their drinks and took their orders.

‘Why good?’ Amy asked suspiciously. ‘You better not be setting me up on a blind date.’

‘Certainly not.’ Sue crossed her legs and then delicately pulled the gold chain out from under her collar. The engagement ring dangling from it was Art Deco; narrow, with a series of small, perfectly square gems.

‘ _Fuuuuck_.’ Amy leant forward. ‘That like his mom’s or something?’

‘Grandmother’s. He offered to buy one to my taste. I like this aesthetically and also because of the sense of history.’

‘Not enough to wear it on your finger.’

‘My fingers are swollen,’ Sue admitted. ‘There’s little point having it resized until after I’ve had the baby.’

Amy tapped her fork on the table. ‘I’m not wearing any fluffy pink taffeta bullshit.’

‘I would not dream of asking you to.’

Amy licked her lips as the server arrived with the food. She started eating as soon as the plate touched the table.

‘What’re we talking about then?’ she asked through a mouthful of food.

 ‘Something only slightly smarter than you would wear for work would be perfectly acceptable. I will be in a dress but there is no necessity for you to.’

Amy took a gulp of wine. ‘When?’

‘We’re looking at three weeks yesterday, depending on availability of people and locations.’

Amy coughed into a napkin. ‘Three weeks? Are you fucking insane?’

‘Amy, this is me. I have organised events of far greater complexity in far less time.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Will you be available?’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t miss it.’ Amy frowned. ‘Wait, is that why you’re glad that I’m not _dating_ Dan?’

Sue nodded. ‘Dan would not be welcome.’

‘He’d probably try to kiss the groom.’ Amy took another bite of food.

Sue smothered a smile. ‘That had occurred to me. You’re aware he asked Kent to stroke his face?’

Amy shook her head. ‘I don’t even want to know.’ She shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. ‘He’s fucking freaking out about this radio thing.’

‘With cause.’

‘No chance Kent could get the nephew to go easy on her?’ Amy asked. ‘We gotta have something we could trade. What does he want?’

‘No idea. If it were viable I’m sure that Kent would have done so already.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you aware that Chung is being interviewed on Monday?’

‘Same guy?’

‘Indeed.’

Amy drummed her fingers on the table. ‘Chung’s gonna be on his guard.’

‘So will Selina,’ Sue said. ‘We will see how successful they will both be.’

‘Is he invited to the wedding?’

‘Chung?’

‘The nephew,’ Amy said, rolling her eyes. ‘Maybe you could invite him. Get on his good side.’

Sue sipped her juice. ‘If we begin inviting all of Kent’s nephews we will have to hire out the National Theatre. He’s inviting Jerry, and he’s asking Jackson to be his best man.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘I hope you and he can be civil.’

‘Why the _fuck_ would Kent…’ Amy shook her head. ‘Families.’

‘His mother may not come,’ Sue said quietly.

‘Sick?’

Sue shook her head.

‘Mommy doesn’t approve?’

‘I can only assume so. He declines to provide details.’ Sue stabbed her food with her fork. ‘My mother wouldn’t miss an opportunity to dress up and to eat free food.’

‘Good priorities.’

‘Indeed.’

Amy pushed away her empty plate with obvious regret. ‘You’re not getting bent out of shape about what some cranky old lady thinks?’

‘No, I do not do that.’ Sue gestured to the server. ‘I don’t care what _she_ thinks.’

Amy rolled her eyes. ‘Kent’s a big boy, Sue.’

‘No arguments there.’

Amy pulled a face. ‘Your mind is in the gutter.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘As is yours it seems.’

Amy ordered dessert from the server, and another glass of wine.

‘I had a call from Sean,’ Sue said. ‘He is taking me to dinner.’

‘He know you’re getting married?’

Sue smiled slightly and shook her head. ‘He doesn’t know that I’m pregnant either.’

Amy’s mouth twisted into a smile. ‘Get there first so he doesn’t see the bump until after you’ve eaten.’

***

There was a part of her that wondered if Kent had a point and that they should wait. Although he framed it as minimising the distress if something went wrong, less reminders to be dealt with, some tiny superstitious part of herself wondered if it were tempting fate.

On the other hand, it was clear from all the literature that they needed a veritable mountain of equipment, supplies, and clothing. From everything that she had read, and every depiction in the media she had ever seen, she doubted she would feel like doing it after the baby was born.

Toys, she was given to understand, were not an option at this point. Kent was quiet but extremely definite on the point. Fortunately Sue hadn’t argued the issue because it wasn’t until they were standing in the store that she remembered Tucker saying that Kent and Charlie’s house had been full of toys.

She squeezed his hand. She felt him look at her, but he didn’t ask.

‘Everything is so small.’ Sue didn’t have to look to know that he was amused. ‘Don’t say it.’

‘Hmm?’

Sue nudged him with her elbow. ‘I realise that babies are small.’

Kent slid his arm around her waist. ‘Have you ever seen a newborn before?’

‘Naturally.’ Sue narrowed her eyes as she looked at the bassinets.

‘Not on the television,’ he said. ‘Those are always slightly older. In real life I mean.’

‘These are for co-sleeping. Do you think those look safer than bed-sharing?’ she asked.

‘Significantly,’ Kent said. ‘Neither of us would fit in there. You haven’t, have you?’ He gently pinched her waist. ‘When babies are born they’re not small, they’re tiny.’ His hands sketched a rough shape. ‘The first time they wrap their entire hand around your thumb, and yet the span still cannot completely reach, you find yourself astonished that something so miraculous can be so commonplace.’

Sue looked at him and smiled slightly. ‘I look forward to that.’

‘You should. It is an experience to savour.’

‘Mr. Davison, I think you are quite excited at our upcoming arrival.’

He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. ‘Miss Wilson, I am. We will be a small yet sturdy boat.’

Sue lent her head against his shoulder. ‘Ahoy Captain.’

***

Sue squealed as Kent picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, leaving the piles of shopping still in the living room.

‘You’re going to put your back out,’ she protested as he whirled her around.

‘Is that more insulting to me or you?’ he asked, dropping her down on the bed and pulling off his t-shirt.

‘I like to imagine that they cancel each other out.’ She kicked off her shoes. ‘Does clothes shopping always enthuse you so?’

‘Always.’ He toed off his shoes, shoved down his jeans, and stepped out of them. ‘Alternatively, the fact that you’re now dressing to emphasise your bump instead of hiding it might be responsible.’

‘Ah, well you will have to learn to control yourself.’ She was trying to be severe, but he was sliding down her jeans and kissing her thighs.

‘You don’t think I exercise enough self-control otherwise?’

She couldn’t see his face over the bump, only the sweep of his hair. ‘Otherwise is not a problem.’ She sounded breathless. She knew what would happen a moment before it did.

Kent stopped and sat up. ‘Something wrong?’

‘No, just pregnant.’

‘We can stop.’

‘Don’t you _dare_.’

He hesitated, clearly considering insisting on the point. ‘Sue-’

‘Kent, I am not made of china. Nor am I _ill_. I’m just pregnant. It’s normal. It’s natural. Millions of women do it every day.’ She raise an eyebrow. ‘So stop worrying.’

 He nodded, bent down to kiss her softly on the mouth, and then travelled slowly down. Tracing his path with his lips.

***

‘I spoke to Amy,’ she said, as she got dressed. ‘She will not be bringing Dan along.’

Kent grunted. He was still in bed, and was fiddling with the television remote control.

‘Are you going to sulk all the time I’m gone?’

‘Yes.’ He shrugged as he looked at her. ‘Unlikely. I’m sure I’ll find something on Netflix to distract me.’

Sue sat on the bed and turned around so that he could button up her dress. ‘I could cancel.’

‘No, don’t do that.’

‘My seeing him is upsetting you.’

‘Maybe it’s good for me,’ he said. ‘I trust you absolutely. I need to get over this.’

Sue turned to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. ‘You see Selina every day at work.’

Kent blinked at her, nonplussed. ‘I don’t… oh. That was once. A long time ago.’

‘And you once spent a night in a motel room with Amy,’ she said, putting on her earrings.

Kent snorted. ‘That was nothing worthy of jealousy or possessiveness. Neither the company nor the location inclined either of us towards any sort of indiscretion.’

‘The location I understand.’ She made herself more comfortable. ‘But the company? Amy’s an attractive girl, and she’s bright.’

Kent shrugged as he lent back against the headboard. ‘She’s… clenched. Even then she was so tense and unyielding. There’s a difference between being controlled, as you are, and being shut up like a clam. My idea of a romantic partner, even a brief one, isn’t someone who is silently screaming with every fibre of her being that she would rather be somewhere, anywhere, else.’

Sue had to smile at that. ‘And Selina?’

‘Hate,’ he said. ‘I think we just needed to get the sex out of the way so we could carry on. Like an inoculation.’

‘That’s an arousing image.’

‘What about you?’ he prompted. ‘Why Sean? Why any of the others?’

Sue stood up and stepped into her shoes. ‘Sean because he was intelligent, interested, and seemed to understand the hours that I work. He was pliable. I’d be lying if I said that hadn’t been a common thread.’

‘Ouch.’

Sue looked at him. ‘I could not in good conscience call you “pliable”, Kent. Perhaps that is a sign of increasing maturity on my part.’

‘That or you made a terrible error of judgment,’ he suggested.

‘No.’ Sue lent over to kiss him. ‘I’m certain that I haven’t made any error.’

***

Sue arrived a few minutes early at the restaurant expecting Sean to be characteristically late. That was certainly not something that she missed about their relationship. Going anywhere with Sean was an exercise in frustration as he prevaricated and procrastinated. It had not been unknown for her to arrive separately, simply to avoid the stress of waiting and the inevitable resulting rows.

He arrived ten minutes late, which for Sean was practically punctual. He was wearing what looked like new jeans, a purple silk shirt, and ludicrously shiny hiking-style boots. All that was fine, she supposed, but the blond highlights in his hair made her shudder. Sean was not a man who was designed for blond highlights.

‘Hey,’ he said, in the same old whirl of coat, leather holdall, wallet, and keys. It never seemed to occur to him to put things _in_ the holdall.

‘Hello.’ Sue didn’t respond to his kiss on the cheek and certainly didn’t return it. He had apparently forgotten but she hadn’t forgiven.

‘Have you ordered?’

‘No.’ Sue crossed her legs. ‘I thought it best to wait.’

Sean waved over a server. ‘Hi, uh, can we have a bottle of red?’

‘Not for me,’ Sue said. ‘I would prefer some sparkling pear juice please.’

The server nodded and vanished into the depths of the restaurant.

‘Who’re you and what’ve you done with the real Sue Wilson?’ Sean asked.

Sue gave him a look until he glanced away sheepishly.

‘What do you want, Sean?’ she demanded.

He scratched his temple. ‘My mom asked after you. She, uh, she always liked you.’

‘I never met your mother.’

‘You uh, spoke to her on the phone.’

Sue looked at him over the top of the menu. ‘You have told her that we split up.’

‘Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure. I, uh, I didn’t tell her why just… we parted.’ Sean sat up when the server arrived with the drinks.

They gave their food orders and sipped their drinks.

‘You’re looking good,’ Sean said. ‘Are you wearing your hair differently?’

Sue cursed herself silently. She had put on the wig with the Botticelli curls to go to the store, she had been feeling a little excitable, and she’d forgotten to change it for her daily one.

‘Yes. I have been making a great many changes since I found you cheating on me.’ Sue sipped her juice. ‘All of them for the better.’

‘Saw you on the news,’ Sean said, squirming in his seat. ‘I didn’t recognise either of the guys you were with. The one having the heart attack?’

‘Ben Cafferty. He’s the President’s Chief of Staff. If you paid as much attention to current events as you pretend to then you would know that.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘His name has been all over the press.’

The server arrived with the food. Sue immediately started eating while Sean poked his food and then sent it back. Not the first time that had happened. She no longer felt any compulsion to wait until he was satisfied with his meal before she ate and had no intention of staying longer than was strictly necessary.

Sean scowled as he watched her eat, clearly annoyed but apparently unwilling to raise the issue. ‘The other guy?’

‘What other man are you referring to?’

‘The one who was riding the gurney like he was in a movie,’ Sean snorted.

‘That would be Kent Davison,’ Sue said, taking another bite of food. ‘I am sure that I have mentioned him before. When Selina was considering not seeking to continue as vice president I approached him for a position.’

Sean gave the server a nod as the second meal was provided. He plunged his fork into the food. ‘I saw the photographs of the _position_ he gave you.’

Sue looked at him. ‘Explain, bearing in mind that I am holding both a knife and a fork.’

Sean flushed. ‘I just meant that I saw the photo on TMZ. That was the same guy, right, him sprawled out with his head in your lap.’

Sue rolled her eyes. ‘Sean, you are in no position to get jealous.’

‘Were you seeing him when we were together?’

‘You’re being ridiculous.’ Sue finished her food and stood up.

‘Holy shit! Is that… who’s is that?’

Sue pulled on her coat. ‘Are you honestly that ignorant about biology or do you imagine that I’m an elephant?’

‘Wait, don’t go!’ Sean grabbed at her hand. ‘I miss you, Suze. Can’t we talk about this?’

Sue snatched her hand free. ‘I am pregnant. I am going to be married. I am _happy_. Thank you for the meal, Sean. Please don’t call me again.’

***

As she opened the door to the apartment, Sue heard male voices inside. As far as she was aware they weren’t expecting any visitors. She took off her coat as she walked into the apartment and hung it up on the hook.

Malcolm Tucker was prowling around the living room, sucking down a Scotch as if his life depended on it. He spun around as he heard the door shut and saluted her with the glass.

‘All hail Nefertiti! _Love_ the curls. Very sexy.’

‘Hello, Malcolm. To what do we owe this pleasure?’ she asked, taking off her coat and hanging it up.

‘I was just in the neighbourhood and decided I’d pop in.’ He gestured with his hand. ‘Thought I’d see if there was any gossip I wasn’t up on. Hit the fucking _mother_ lode here didn’t I?’

Sue slipped off her shoes. ‘Exceedingly clever. Well done.’

‘You know me, pet, bright and sparkling no matter what time the day or night.’ He loosened his tie. ‘I was gonna ask your man if he wanted to go out on the town but he buzzed off to the kitchen before I could. Guess there’s no point asking now. Revoltingly goody-two shoes about the whole fatherhood thing I’m sure.’

Sue smiled slightly. It was a pleasant change to hear someone say something positive about Kent’s paternal instincts, even phrased in Tucker’s characteristically acerbic manner.

‘He is.’

The door to the kitchen opened and the scent of baking wafted out.

‘You’re back early,’ Kent said. He’d put on a navy t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants. Sue would be surprised if Malcolm honestly thought Kent would be tempted out of the house.

‘I eat quickly in poor company,’ she said, walking over and kissing his cheek. ‘I’m going to get changed for bed.’ She flashed a look at Malcolm. ‘Not a word.’

‘Who, me? I wouldn’t dream of it.’

 ‘Hang on.’ Kent slipped behind her and unbuttoned her dress. ‘There.’

‘Once they work out how to have babbies without us we’ll completely redundant,’ Tucker said, shaking his head. ‘Sooner or later they’re going to start asking each _other_ to help with their buttons, that’ll be the start of the death spiral of the male of the species.’

Sue raised an eyebrow as she strolled towards the bedroom. ‘If those are the only things you bring to a relationship, Malcolm, then I understand your being single.’ 

‘You wound me, Sue, you wound me deeply.’

Sue got changed in the bedroom. A few months ago she wouldn’t have considered spending the evening in her pyjamas, not with Kent still in the apartment, but now the appeal of comfort was almost overwhelming. _Not_ that she had let herself go. She had standards.

When she returned to the living room she found Kent alone.

‘Drink?’ he suggested.

‘Mint tea.’ She settled herself on the couch as Kent returned to the kitchen. There was a large gift basket in the corner of the room by the lamp. It was still wrapped in cellophane but she thought that she could see what looked like jars of conserve and at least one packet of a fruit tea. Once upon a time she would have received bottles of wine as a gift.

‘Here we are.’ Kent carefully put his glass of beer onto a coaster before handing her the delicate china mug and curling up on the couch next to her.

‘Malcolm?’

‘Called away by some disaster. Something about a minister being caught somewhere naked and lead around on a leash.’

‘A church minister?’

‘No, it’s what they call they call their political office holders, ministers for this or that or the other. Or in Malcolm’s case, shadow ministers, since his party isn’t in power.’

Sue took a sip of her mint tea. ‘Shadow minister sounds far more interesting.’

‘I always thought so.’ He nodded at the basket. ‘From Cordelia.’

She had to think about it for a moment. ‘The youngest of your sisters?’

Kent shrugged. ‘Thinks herself the family peacemaker.’

Sue crossed her legs. ‘I don’t understand the logic but I never turn down free food. You’ll let me have her number tomorrow.’

‘Sure.’ He patted her knee. ‘I baked.’

‘I smelled.’

‘Hungry?’

Sue nodded. ‘Feed me.’

‘With pleasure.’

***

 In the morning, Sue curled up in bed and sulked as she watched Kent finishing his packing.

‘Selina has her interview with KJCM at the end of the week,’ he said.

Sue grunted and buried herself in her cup of mint tea.

‘I thought perhaps that you might like to fly out on Thursday and we could spend Friday and Saturday together there,’ Kent suggested. ‘Everyone else will be leaving for home on Friday morning.’

Sue scowled and wrapped her hands around her cup. ‘You want me to get a five hour flight just to suit you.’

Kent straightened his suit sleeves. ‘You want to see San Francisco.’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘You pinned hotels, restaurants, and places of interest.’

Sue blinked. ‘You’re following me on Pinterest.’

He shrugged. ‘You knew that.’

‘I suppose that I forgot,’ she said. ‘I have a great deal on my mind.’

Kent nodded.  

‘I _might_ wish to see San Francisco,’ Sue admitted.

Kent put his hands on his hips. ‘I’m not about to force you.’

Sue felt her lips tighten. ‘Do not use that tone.’

Kent sighed and came to sit by her on the bed. ‘I don’t want to be away either.’ He patted the covers until he found her leg. ‘I’m no happier about it than you are.’

Sue adjusted his tie. ‘I’m not the one who’s going away.’

‘Not by choice.’

‘Don’t be logical at me.’ She flicked his nose. ‘If I come out to San Francisco on Thursday won’t you all be busy getting Selina ready for her interview?’

‘It won’t be the full three hours. I believes she’s scheduled for twelve-thirty until one.’ He squeezed her leg. ‘You could visit a spa after you arrive if you wanted, have a massage, or relax however you prefer.’

‘Are you suggesting this because you feel guilty?’

‘No. I’ll have been trapped away from home for a week with only the senior staff for company.’ Kent gave a small shrug. ‘I am suggesting this because I will be miserable and extremely eager to see you.’

Sue narrowed her eyes. ‘You make it very difficult to remain angry at you.’

‘Good.’ He kissed her.

  

 


	14. Handcuffs might be an interesting way to accessorise

 

If Sue hadn’t had the wedding to arrange she might have found herself throttling Jonah simply to relieve her irritation and aggravation. Kent’s being away niggled at her, always, but the absence of Selina and the senior staff also removed much needed distraction. She hadn’t even heard about the Chung interview until Tuesday afternoon, and she’d had to wrestle the recording from a near hysterical Jonah.

_‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard the story about the tank a million times, Governor Chung. I’m sure that the men that you rescued are only too thrilled to have you turn their near deaths into a trite anecdote intended to impress the voters.’_

_‘War is a dangerous business, Mr. Killian!’_

_‘Sure is, especially for civilians in Afghanistan. In 2014 there were approximately thirty-eight thousand American service personal in Afghanistan and by the end of the year do you know how many of those had died?’_

_‘No, I don’t have those kind of figures to hand but I’m sure that our brave soldiers are dying every day.’_

_‘Thirty-eight. That’s how many American soldiers died in 2014 due to hostile action, and another sixteen due to “non-hostile” causes. Given how invested you are the subject I’m surprised that you know so little about it.’_

She had been playing phone tag with Cordelia most of the week and it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that they managed an actual conversation. Cordelia was only eleven months older than Kent although she sounded far younger. She was also unsystematic, forgetful, and easily distracted. Sue was honestly rather surprised that the other woman had managed to organise a gift hamper.

‘Your sister,’ Sue said to Kent over the phone on Wednesday evening.

 ‘Which?’ He sounded so tired that she wondered if she should have called.

‘Cordelia.’

‘Ah.’ There was a wealth of meaning in that one syllable. ‘You managed to speak to her?’

Sue relaxed down onto the pillows and straightened the bedclothes around her. ‘I did. She seems extremely fond of you.’

‘She has a kinder nature than is probably wise,’ he said.

‘She suggested that I speak to your mother.’

Kent sighed. ‘Please don’t.’

‘Is that all you have to say?’ Despite herself she was a touch amused.

‘Pretty please?’

Sue rubbed her eye. ‘I wish you would tell me what she said. I don’t like it when you keep things from me.’

‘I don’t like it when you go behind my back,’ Kent said.

‘Ouch. That went right to the heart.’

Kent’s voice dropped slightly, became a touch rough. ‘Like to kiss it better.’  

Sue smiled and tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder. ‘Tell me more.’

***

Sue arrived in San Francisco a little after eight in the evening. There was a car waiting to take her to the hotel. As she got into the car she saw a billboard with Kent’s nephew’s face splashed across it.

‘People here listen to a lot of radio?’ she asked.

The driver twisted around to look at the billboard. ‘Oh, that’s Killian. Local celebrity I guess. Kinda self-righteous if you want to know my opinion but he puts out a decent show. He’s gonna be interviewing the president tonight.’

Sue hadn’t asked Kent how Selina was feeling regarding her upcoming interview, and he hadn’t proffered an opinion. Chung’s approval ratings had suffered a similar drop to Thornhill’s and neither showed any sign of recovery. Sue imagined that the mood at their temporary headquarters was likely to be close to hysteria. As she arrived, she followed Kent’s text directions to avoid both the lurking press and the prowling political staff but was spotted leaving the elevator by an apparently lost photographer. She was quite tempted to pose but decided it wasn’t worth giving Selina any excuse to take out her doubtless terrible mood on Sue. She was planning on alleviating her own foul mood by taking a long, hot bath followed by a massage from the hotel masseur. If there was any chocolate in the minibar then there wouldn’t be for longer, and if there wasn’t then she planned to ravage the room service menu for all it was worth.

As she pushed open the door to the hotel room she smelled a hint of Kent’s aftershave, but more than that she smelled something rich and heavy with cocoa. Sue turned on the light, hung up on her coat, and turned the corner. There was something in an insulated box on the desk, something that smelled unbelievably good. She opened the lid and took a deep breath. Chocolate soufflé. Sue tapped her foot. Regaining equilibrium with him after _that_ was going to require some planning. In the meantime there was chocolate soufflé, a hot bath, and then a massage. It was a difficult job, but someone had to do it.

***

Sue was dozing lightly when the door to the room opened. She had the lights down low and soft music playing. She had tried some of her favourite scented candles, but was an overly sensitive sense of smell had put paid to that.

‘There’s a welcome sight,’ Kent said.

She heard him lean back against the door but didn’t open her eyes.

‘There’s a welcome sound,’ she murmured. ‘Surely it isn’t after one already?’

‘Not even close.’

His footsteps didn’t make any sound on the plush carpet but she heard his keys jangle in his pocket as he crossed the room. ‘It’s a little after eleven.’

Sue opened her eyes as his fingers touched her knee. ‘You’re well-dressed for a mirage.’

‘None the less welcome for being potentially imaginary I hope.’

Sue unbuckled Kent’s belt and slid it out of the loops. ‘Always welcome.’

‘Did you get the…?’

‘I gave the chocolate soufflé a good home.’ Sue peeled back the bedclothes.

‘Excellent.’ Kent quickly undressed. ‘Did you find a dress?’

Sue nodded and brushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘A sleeveless, A-line, pleated chiffon dress with a sweep train.’ She smiled as Kent slipped under the covers and kissed her neck. ‘With an empire waist.’

‘Mmm, I don’t know what any of those things mean.’

‘Unnecessary,’ she murmured, wrapping her legs around his waist. ‘It will look fabulous.’

‘Doubtless.’  

***

Kent hadn’t eaten since three when, he told her, he had grabbed red snapper tacos at an official function. So they ordered a selection of dishes from a local Vietnamese restaurant, and flipped on the television.

Sue took a sip of her camomile tea. ‘At the risk of not wanting the answer, why aren’t you with Selina?’

Kent groaned as he lent back against the pillows. ‘Tempers frayed during the prep work. It was suggested that everyone have a break. Take a nap.’

‘So you have to go to the radio station soon?’

‘No. I’m all yours.’ He met her sceptical expression. ‘The station only allows two people there with her. She has selected Amy and Gary. I did not protest.’

‘I’m glad that Ben is returning soon,’ Sue said. ‘Even a staggered return will alleviate some of the pressure.’

Kent snorted. ‘As long as someone else tells him about the day care.’

Sue’s cell vibrated. She picked it up and frowned slightly. ‘The food is downstairs.’ She looked at him. ‘Dare you to go downstairs like that.’

He snorted again as he got off the bed and pulled on a t-shirt, jogging pants, and trainers. ‘You’d like me to get arrested.’

‘Handcuffs might be an interesting way to accessorise.’

Kent strode over to the door. ‘We’re in San Francisco. I’m sure that we could find handcuffs without having to bring ourselves to the attention of the police.’

‘Spoilsport.’

While he was gone she texted Amy; whose typo ridden punctuation abusing reply suggested that she had been hitting the coffee very heavily and all day. Selina was on her way to the station, due on in less than fifteen minutes, and apparently feeling much better for having had a nap. Thornhill had been grilled about his lack of political experience, his inability to dominate the conversation, and, via the callers, about his affair. Chung had his dependence on his war record hauled over the coals while the callers were more concerned with his lack of support for gay marriage and pandering to the religious right. None of those could be applied to Selina. It certainly didn’t help that they didn’t simply have to deal with Killian but also with whatever callers the producer’s whim was to put through. Sue dealt with enough members of the public to have no illusions about their logic or coherence.

She turned off the television and turned on the radio. As she tuned in the station she heard the, now familiar, tone of Killian advising that they were going to ‘pay some bills’, before the ads started. They were hyping Selina’s interview pretty intensely. Hardly surprising she supposed, she could only imagine that the interviews were working wonders for their ratings.

Kent walked into the room, kicking the door shut behind him, and piled the boxes on the desk. ‘Did you listen to the Chung interview?’

‘I did.’ Sue sat up. She had eaten but the smell of the food was quite enticing. ‘I may have given a tiny cheer when Chung’s favourite war story was cut off.’

‘Couldn’t be anything compared to the cheer that went up when we heard it.’ Kent opened up the containers and carried them over to the bed. ‘I think Mike almost choked.’

‘I wonder what Danny Chung used to talk about before that.’

‘Probably some football game he won single-handed. He’s the jock type.’

Sue scoffed, picked up one the dumplings, and dipped it in the chilli soy sauce. ‘So much emphasis on sports at the expense of education.’

Kent opened a pot of Ca Kho To and delicately picked up a piece of braised fish with the chopsticks. ‘For every jock whose career is made based on his ability to throw around a ball, a hundred more carry disappointment and debilitating injuries through the rest of their lives.’

‘Cheery.’

Kent shrugged. ‘Realistic.’

‘Were you a jock?’ Sue asked, smiling slightly.

He popped the fish into his mouth and chewed. ‘I was on the drill team.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Dance?’

‘No.’

‘ _You_ went to military school?’ Sue asked. ‘Why?’

Kent shrugged and spooned up some sauce. ‘Excellent educational results.’

Sue was about to reply when she realised that the ads had finished and Killian was speaking.

‘Five dollars he goes after her on immigration first,’ Kent suggested.

Sue helped herself to broken rice with grilled pork. ‘Hmm, I have five dollars on child care.’

‘Deal.’

***

_‘Well, I’m real glad that you asked about child care, Jack, because I am one hundred percent committed to providing child care for our working mothers.’_

_‘Nice to know, Ma’am, but we all know that you’re not getting any legislation through this term. Your commitment is good to hear but do you have something concrete to back it up?’_

Sue held out her hand for the money. ‘Thank you. Did you tip him off to ask that?’

‘It may have arisen in conversation,’ Kent admitted.

_‘…in the White House. We have it scheduled to open in the next couple of months.’_

_‘So are you… Oh, I’m getting a message that our lines are completely jammed, big surprise there. We’re going to take some calls. The president is going to be here for another twenty minutes and will be taking your questions. Right now we are going to Sophie in Oakland on line… four. Talk to us, Sophie.’_

_‘Yeah, hi, what I want to know is what the president is going to about Rhonda Washington?’_

Sue winced and reached for a bottle of sparkling water. ‘This is going to get nasty.’

‘She’s quite passionate about the case,’ Kent said. ‘It could go either way.’

‘But it’s military law. There is nothing she can do.’

_‘…if I’m wrong, Jack, but I believe that you used to be a police officer?’ Selina asked._

_‘Yeah, I was an Inspector with the SFPD for ten years.’_

_‘Then I’m sure you are aware that for every woman who reports a rape there are countless others who don’t. Not because it wasn’t important a terrible crime but because it was, because it’s so incredibly traumatic,’ Selina said. ‘Being sexually assaulted is completely disempowering, Jack. You know I’ve heard men talk about how they’d be so flattered if a woman grabbed their ass. But you know what? That’s BS. It’s BS because men aren’t afraid of women, not the way women are afraid of men. The way we’re trained to be afraid of men. That is some freaking baggage to carry around with you.’_

_‘So what’re we going to do about it? What’re you going to do about it, Madame President?’_

_‘I… It’s a complicated situation…’_

_‘What, so we do nothing?’_

_‘No,’ Selina said quickly. ‘No, obviously not.’_

_‘Because it seems to me, Ma’am, that what we have here is a cultural problem.’_

_‘Well, sure.’_

_‘I’m not going to claim that we gotta a rape culture, because I’m not qualified to make that kinda judgement. But we gotta problem and we need to fix it. **You** need to fix it, Ma’am, because you’re the president. This is literally your job.’ _

Sue caught her breath and looked at Kent, who was covering his eyes with his hand.

‘This is worse than Chung,’ she said.

‘Still better than Thornhill.’

‘Barely.’

_‘Hey, I would love to snap my fingers and just… make things right. I can’t legislate cultural change. The world doesn’t work that way.’_

_‘No, the way it works is that those in authority bury their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is fine while regular people take to the streets and make their feelings heard. Rhonda Washington had no voice,’ Killian said. ‘Officers, male and female alike, took her voice. People in power, people like you, took away her voice.’_

_‘That is completely unfair!’_

_‘So you agree that people gotta **make** themselves heard?’ _

_‘Of course! The only way that we are going to make any kind of change is to stand up and be counted. We have to make our voices heard, for people like Rhonda Washington. My God, do you think I live in some ivory tower where rape is some kind of distant horror story? I’m a woman, I have been assaulted, and I couldn’t say anything.’_

_‘I didn’t know…’ he started._

_‘Because admitting it shameful. We stigmatise women for being attacked and that has got to stop. We have got to stand up and say this happened to me and it is not okay.’_

_‘On the streets? In demonstrations?’_

_‘If that’s the only way women can make themselves heard then hell yeah.’_

Kent silently got up, walked over to the minibar, and got out a tiny bottle of whiskey. He poured into a glass, and drained it.

Sue watched as both of their cell phones began to vibrate across the bedside table. She reached across to check the caller IDs.

‘Should I turn off the show?’ she asked.

Kent shook his head as he stalked back to the bed and scooped up his cell. ‘We need to know if she’s about to create a huge diplomatic incident with Finland.’ He turned away as he answered his cell.

Sue grabbed a container of food as she answered her own cell, she had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

***

‘What do you mean, they’re going for a drink?’ Kent demanded. ‘It’s… three am and she just… No of course I’m not… I’m not accusing you of anything.’

Sue considered turning off her cell. She was in no position to arrange the meetings that various senators and congressmen were desperately demanding, let alone the various activists.

‘If that is what she wants,’ Kent said in a tone of uncommon finality, ‘I suggest that you get some rest. In the morning you at least will be fresh.’ He turned and seemed to focus his gaze rather blankly on the wall by her head. ‘Mr. Egan, Mr. Egan you are babbling. Stop talking. Take a breath. Focus. Are you in your hotel room? Then go there. Take whatever sedative your doctor has prescribed you and go to sleep. We will meet you tomorrow for breakfast at… nine.’

‘Urgh,’ Sue groaned.

Kent threw his cell down onto the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

‘You’re not going out,’ Sue said.

He put his hands on his hips and looked at her.

‘It’s three in the morning. Have you even slept yet?’ she asked.

Kent squeezed the bridge of his nose. ‘I got a couple of hours this afternoon.’

Sue threw back the covers. ‘This is ridiculous.’

‘What’re you doing?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘The fact that you asked proves you are too tired to go alone.’

***

‘Make sure you get the name correct in your memoirs,’ Kent murmured as they made their way along the alley way.

‘It world make an extract worthy chapter.’

‘Extract worthy?’

Sue shrugged. ‘A snippet for the newspapers to publish and the talking heads to be scandalised by.’

‘Ah.’

Sue looked at him. ‘Have you never considered your memoirs?’

He shook his head as he opened the door. ‘No. Who would be remotely interested?’

‘You must know a great many embarrassing things about powerful people.’

Kent stood back, holding the door open. ‘Knowing and telling are different things.’

Carmen’s bar was quieter than Sue had been expecting and something about the amount of cheap suits and middle-aged men suggested it was probably a lot more secure than any number of the local clubs.

‘This is a cop bar,’ she said.

‘It is?’

‘Trust me.’

Selina was in a booth along with Gary, wide-eyed and anxious, Amy, twitchy and irritable, a Chinese man, and Killian. He was a little older than Sue expected, with greying temples in his dark blond hair.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ Amy demanded, scrambling around and out of the booth. She and Kent huddled together whispering furiously.

‘Sue! Sit your ass down,’ Selina said. She turned to Killian. ‘Are all the men in your family as rude as your uncle or is he a special case?’

Killian stood up and came out of the booth to allow Sue to squeeze into it.

‘Can’t say any of us is exactly known for our social skills,’ he admitted, and scowled playfully as the Chinese man snickered.

‘I found Caleb extremely polite,’ Sue said.

‘Southern manners,’ he replied. ‘I’m Killian,’ he said. ‘This is Billy Po, he tries to keep from myself.’

Billy waggled his fingers at her. ‘I mostly fail but I always try.’

‘Sue Wilson,’ she said and looked at Selina who was finishing off a beer.  ‘Ma’am, you are due to fly back tomorrow at eleven.’

Selina leant forward onto the table. ‘It’s Airforce One. Pretty sure I can fly whenever I want, wherever I want.’

Billy turned to Jack. ‘Sure could use that when I’m going to see my folks.’

Jack caught Sue’s eye and stood up. ‘I think we need another round.’

‘Yeah, I’ll help you,’ Billy said quickly.

‘Shit, I was really enjoying that conversation. Do you know how rare it is for me to just _talk_ about something that means something?’ Selina shook her head. ‘I have to watch every freaking word I say, Sue. Even people who _agree_ with me have some fucking agenda. They’re as likely to stab me in the back as watch it.’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘So you unburden yourself to a journalist?’

Selina leant forward and lowered her voice. ‘You know the first thing he said to me when I met him tonight? He said “hey, I bet you don’t remember me”. Turns out we met like fifteen fucking years ago, when he _arrested_ me for… well no matter what for. Did you hear him say any of that? No he fucking didn’t. He _did_ tell me up front that it was going to be a rough ride. He did give me a hard time over every damn thing he thought we’d fucked up, fucked over, or fucked about with.’ Selina slammed a hand against the table. ‘I have been betrayed by people who are supposed to be my friends so many fucking times, Sue, it is a _relief_ to talk to someone upfront about being pissed at me. Upfront about it and not interested in stabbing me in the back.’

‘Stabbing you in the front is better?’

‘It’s honest. Rare fucking commodity around here. I got groped on a visit to one of our _allies_. A fucking ally! The vice president of the United States, and I got assaulted on an official visit. I couldn’t say a fucking thing because it would cause a god damn international incident!’  Selina sat back in her chair as Amy and Kent walked over. She rolled her eyes at Sue. ‘I don’t know why you felt it was necessary to come stomping over here with Captain Buzzkill anyway.’

‘Ma’am,’ Kent said, ‘you were goaded into-’

‘Into what?’ she snapped at Kent. ‘Admitting that I’m one of the _millions_ of women who have been sexually assaulted? Admitted as if _I’ve_ done something wrong. Maybe it’ll do some good, did you think of that?’ She jerked a thumb at the bar. ‘Maybe he’s right, and assaults are like fucking mushrooms growing in the dark. Maybe it’s my duty to shine some light.’  

He held up his hands. ‘You called for public demonstrations.’

‘Oh, I did not.’ She looked at Amy and Sue. ‘Right?’

‘Uh, well…’

‘Yes,’ Sue said. ‘Yes, you did.’

 ‘But uh, we’re seeing a massive response already,’ Kent said. ‘On both issues and from just about every perspective.’

‘Kent’s right,’ Amy said. ‘We need to put together a statement and issue it ASAP.’

‘That’ll look like panic.’

Sue twisted around in her seat as everyone turned towards the bar.

‘I say that out loud?’ Jack asked Billy.

‘Yup.’

Jack scratched his head and swivelled around on his seat. ‘Just my two cents but if you rush out a statement it’ll look like you’re panicking.’

‘You didn’t do anything wrong,’ Billy said. ‘Sure what you said was bold but people are sick of politicians never saying anything. You could really parlay this into a win if you stand your ground.’

Selina looked at Kent. He put his hands on his hips.

‘We may be able to turn this around. I need to run the numbers.’

‘Tomorrow,’ Sue said. ‘It is ridiculously late and everyone is exhausted.’

Amy caught her breath but Selina merely waved a hand.

‘Yeah,’ Selina said. ‘Let’s head to the hotel.’

***

 

It was morning but it felt like the bones of the night. Sue felt sluggish and heavy as she sat down at the desk and put on her every day wig.

‘I begin to see the advantage of a wig,’ Kent remarked. He was still sat in bed although now he was sat up and tapping away furiously at his laptop.

Sue turned and looked at him. ‘Do not think about it.’

He glanced up. ‘About getting a wig? I’m not that invested in saving time and effort.’

‘Good,’ Sue said. ‘Your hair gives you at least an extra two on a scale of one to ten.’

He frowned slightly. ‘I’m not asking.’

‘How bad is it?’ Sue asked.

Kent raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. ‘She’s down with neo-cons, as much as she could fall with them, but up with almost every other demographic.’

Sue clucked her tongue. ‘How much?’

‘So far, rather a lot. That could well be reversed at a moment’s notice.’ He scratched his forehead. ‘It seems that Selina’s impromptu outburst inadvertently may have struck a chord with a sizeable and hitherto fore untapped demographic.’ 

Sue twisted in her seat to look at him. ‘Did you know?’

‘What?’

‘That she’d been attacked on an official visit.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘She told me last night.’

A muscle twitched in his cheek and he looked back down at the laptop. ‘I was told, not by her, and I didn’t know many details.’ He shrugged. ‘I had no desire to know.’

‘Thank you for not telling me,’ she said.

Kent looked up. ‘Why would I have told you?’

Sue shrugged. ‘I don’t know. But I would have thought less of you for it.’

His lips twitched slightly. ‘You would be right to do so.’

***

 Kent was in the shower when the hotel landline began ringing. Sue straightened her wig, blotted her lipstick on a tissue paper, and answered the telephone.

‘Yes?’

‘Miss Wilson. Bill Ericsson. Neither you nor Mr. Davison are answering your cells.’

‘We are exceedingly busy, Mr. Ericsson. What do you want?’ Sue stood up and padded barefoot across to the bathroom door. She slid it open quietly. Kent was in the shower, he turned around and pulled back the door. Sue thumbed the speakerphone on.

‘Caught the show last night. Excellent work from Killian. Her spike in the polls is going to crash as soon as the news reports get between her ribs. Am I to take it that someone helpfully advised him on how best to deal with Selina?’ Ericsson asked.

Sue raised an eyebrow as Kent smothered a snort. ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Absolutely not,’ Ericsson chuckled. ‘Nonetheless, I would like you and Mr. Davison to know, as a matter of courtesy, that when Joe wins the presidency your positions are guaranteed.’

‘Your courtesy is appreciated,’ Sue said. ‘Goodbye.’ She thumbed off the phone and threw it behind her on to the bed. ‘Why does he think we sabotaged Selina?’

Kent wiped water from his face. ‘He’s paranoid. He sees conspiracies everywhere.’

‘So we didn’t?’

‘Not unless there’s something you wish to tell me.’

Sue watched a blob of body wash foam slide down Kent’s chest.  ‘I have no desire to talk about Selina. Or Ericsson. Or talk about anything really.’

Kent quickly rinsed off the foam and turned off the shower. Then picked up a towel and flicked it towards her, just catching her hip with the corner.

‘Oh, you did not just do that,’ Sue growled playfully.

 

 

 


	15. Partners In Crime

 

‘Gotta say, hon, the breasts look amazing.’

Sue smiled slightly as she sat down at the table. Kent tucked the chair in underneath her and sat next to her. He snorted at Charlie’s comment. Sophie rolled her eyes.

‘Thank you,’ Sue said. ‘I am not loving having to sleep on my back.’

‘It does exacerbate the snoring,’ Kent remarked.

Sue elbowed him in the ribs.

‘Always so courteous,’ Charlie murmured, winking at Sue.

‘Is your dress still going to fit?’ Sophie asked. ‘You’re the size of truck.’

Charlie flicked her nose. ‘Bad!’

‘Ow, geez.’

Kent slipped his hand under the table and squeezed Sue’s knee. ‘Ignore the child, she clearly doesn’t appreciate a womanly figure.’

Sue crossed her legs, enjoying his smothered groan as her bare skin pressed against his hand. ‘I had my final fitting this evening.’

‘I had to leave the apartment,’ Kent said dryly.

Charlie poured wine into three glasses. ‘Gosh, you didn’t strike me as the type to worry about bad luck.’

‘I’m not.’ Sue poured herself a glass of sparkling juice. ‘I want it to be a surprise. Nothing else. I note that Kent has not shown me his suit.’

He shrugged. ‘You’re more than welcome to see it. I’m not entirely sure that the ensemble isn’t a little… baroque.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m not sure if I should be amused or alarmed.’

‘You want to see?’

‘No. Surprise me.’

‘Gimme a photo,’ Charlie said. ‘You’ve been sending them to Jackson for his opinion, right?’

Kent grumbled to himself and fiddled with his phone. ‘Texted.’

‘I would like to know if you’ve spoken to your mom,’ Sue said, looking at him. ‘A week isn’t much time for her to arrange visiting D.C.’

‘I thought we weren’t talking about that,’ he muttered.

‘That was when we had plenty of time. Now we don’t.’

Sophie snorted into her drink. ‘My mom’s not coming to our wedding.’

‘You hate your mom,’ Charlie said mildly. ‘With good cause. Kent actually likes his. Why’s Caitlyn not coming?’

Kent waved his free hand. ‘It’s complicated.’

Sue looked at her menu. ‘Translation, she said something rude about me and they had a fight about it.’ She looked at Kent. ‘Your desire to defend and protect me is appreciated. Nonetheless, call your mom. Tell her to get her ass to our wedding.’

‘I would _love_ to hear that conversation,’ Charlie laughed as she checked her phone. ‘Oh, Kent, your suit is yummy. Love, love, love the waistcoat and the scunchy tie.’

‘Thank you.’ He turned to Sue, ‘I’m not going to apologise to her.’

‘Good,’ Sue said. ‘Don’t apologise.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘She doesn’t have to approve for her to come to the wedding. My mother certainly doesn’t.’

‘Ow,’ Sophie murmurs. ‘What’s with that?’ She drained her glass. ‘Is it because he’s white?’

Charlie almost dropped her phone. ‘Soph! Holy shit, honey, you can’t say stuff like that!’

‘I only asked, _god_.’

Sue looked at Kent. ‘It’s not that.’

He shook his head. ‘No.’

‘Good.’

The waiter arrived and they had to spend a couple of minutes debating over who ordered the salad and who the wedges.

Charlie squeezed lemon onto her fish. ‘Are you honeymooning?’

‘Not immediately,’ Sue sliced into her steak. ‘Work is far too busy and Kent is going to take some time for paternity leave instead.’

‘Oh you poor thing,’ Charlie said, bright eyed, ‘all that wailing and drooling, and a baby too.’

Kent merely shook his head. ‘Not up to your usual standard.’

Sophie swallowed a mouthful of fish. ‘You could probably buy one of those Japanese robots to change its diapers. Effect’d be much the same.’

Kent pointed his fork at her. ‘Much better.’

‘Kent is not a robot,’ Sue said. Given the way Sophie and Charlie’s eyes widened she suspected that she was more definitive than she intended.

‘He isn’t exactly Mister Warm and Fluffy,’ Sophie muttered. ‘No offense.’

Out of the corner of her eye, Sue saw Kent shrug.

Charlie shifted in her seat and half turned to Sophie. ‘Honey, you know, it’s real hard to tell what someone’s like at home.’ She nudged Sophie with her elbow. ‘I dread to think what they imagine that you and I are like at home.’

Sue squeezed Kent’s thigh. ‘You’ll be a wonderful father.’

He blinked a couple of times and a touch of colour appeared in his cheeks. ‘Thank you.’

 Charlie cleared her throat. ‘So, the wedding is this weekend. Any cold feet, last minute nerves? Nobody would blame you,’ she teased.

‘No,’ Sue said.

‘Absolutely not,’ Kent said, overlapping her words. He glanced at her as if seeking reassurance and relaxed a little at her nod.

‘I suppose you couldn’t fly anyway,’ Sophie said. ‘You can all go for a vacation when the baby’s born.’ She took a sip of wine. ‘With your nanny or whatever.’

Sue shook her head. ‘We will not be employing a nanny but using the day care facility in the White House.’

Charlie laughed. ‘Oh I heard about that, Sophie _loves_ that show it was announced on. The timing was awful… fortuitous I thought.’ She waggled her eyebrows as she lowered her voice. ‘I thought I saw your hand in all those little leaks. You must’ve been thrilled when the stories started going viral.’

‘We admit nothing,’ Sue said.

‘Partners in crime! That’s adorable.’

Sophie leant forward. ‘Isn’t there going to be an investigation into the leaks? Didn’t they say that?’

‘Sure,’ Kent said. ‘There are always investigations. Sometimes they are even important. But right at the moment there are far more pressing issues to exercise the media and government alike.’

Sophie waved her fork. ‘There’s a demonstration planned soon? That Rhonda Washington thing. There were marches back home but nothing as big as they’re talking about in DC.’

Sue pursed her lips. Something was tickling in her memory. ‘Where are you from?’

‘Oakland, I’m a Cali girl,’ she said.

‘Say “Rhonda Washington” again,’ Sue asked. She saw Kent frown slightly as he turned to her.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. ‘Why?’

‘Sophie from Oakland,’ Kent said and rubbed his forehead. ‘You called the radio station.’

Charlie shook her head. ‘There’s lots of Sophie’s in California, Kent.’

‘Who just happen to sound like your girlfriend?’ Sue asked.

Sophie rolled her eyes. ‘Fiancée, and so what? I didn’t make her say all that stuff, Killian did. He got her all riled up.’ She stabbed her fork into her food. ‘It was just a question.’

Charlie put her face in her hands. ‘Oh Joseph and Mary. Honey, if it gets traced back to you then it’s gonna look like Kent put you up to it.’

Sue put her hand on top of Kent’s, although she was sure he didn’t need any consolation or reassurance. He was, as Amy would put it, a big boy and could take care of himself. Nonetheless he gently squeezed her fingers.

Sophie was reddening slightly. ‘Got it in for her have you, Kent?’

‘If I did, then I would sorely disappointed. Her numbers are up,’ Kent said. ‘Selina’s political opponents would perhaps argue that we engineered the whole situation: that her supposedly off the cuff remarks were a coolly calculated speech intended to tap into the current zeitgeist. I wouldn’t have taken a risk like that.’ He shrugged. ‘But if I had, then the risk would have been rewarded.’

Sophie was staring at him. ‘A woman is _dead_.’

‘And there is nothing I can do about that.’ Kent shrugged. ‘What I can do is work for a politician who is willing and able to do what she can about it.’

‘You managed to do something about child care right enough,’ Sophie said.

‘I can’t raise the dead. I wouldn’t bother with politics if I could.’

‘You could start your own cult,’ Sue suggested.

‘Your mom definitely wouldn’t come to your wedding then,’ Charlie said.

* * *

Something was going on. Sue watched as Ben and Kent pored over some printouts before hustling in to see Selina.

‘Think Ben’s forgiven Kent for breaking his ribs?’ Mike wondered.

‘Ben hasn’t forgiven him for being born yet,’ Amy said.

‘I know but... ribs. That’ gotta hurt.’

Sue shook her head. ‘Ben is alive to know he has broken fibs. It is almost impossible to do CPR properly without breaking the ribs.’

Dan sat on her desk, registered her expression, and sat elsewhere. ‘You should take a lesson, Mike. If Ben wasn’t so gut heavy, Kent wouldn’t have had to hammer on his chest so hard.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘It means lose some weight, buddy, because if I’m in a car with you when you have a heart attack, I’m not busting my wrist to give you CPR.’

Amy snorted. ‘Like you have any idea what a heart is, or where it is.’

Dan flashed a grin. ‘Pretty sure Gary knows where his brain is, for all the good it does him.’

‘Hey, take that back!’ Gary said.

Dan swivelled towards him. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Did you not know? It’s in your head, Gary, between your ears.’

‘You little shit.’

Sue looked up from her monitor. Selina strode across the bullpen and thumped Dan in the shoulder. Behind her Ben and Kent winced.

‘Ow! Ma’am... what the hell?’

‘What the hell? I’ll tell you what the hell. Leaked polls. Trolling – is that the right word? Trolling forums to rile up the internet crazies. That’s what I’ll tell you!’

Dan stared at her blankly.

‘Ma’am, however inappropriate Mr. Egan’s actions were they did work in our favour,’ Kent said. ‘I suspect he merely overstepped rather than attempted sabotage.’

Selina poked her finger in Dan’s shoulder. ‘You hear that? Defended by the guy you sold down the river by listening at door. Christ, Dan! Using McDonald’s Wi-Fi three blocks from your building, did you really think that would fool anyone?’

She stalked back towards her office. ‘Ben with me. Kent you give Captain Leaky here a fucking warning. This shit is not what I need.’

Ben strolled after her and shut the door behind him.

 Dan stood up. ‘I didn’t leak any polls.’

‘All the evidence says you did,’ Kent said.

‘You have a fucking terrible track record with this stuff,’ Amy agreed. ‘Does Chung torture ring a bell?’

‘If I did then I would admit it. Hell. I’d want credit since she worked it into the childcare...’ Dan trailed off. He turned and looked at Sue, then shook his head.

‘Am I boring you, Mr. Egan?’ Kent asked.

‘No, Sir.’ Dan folded his arms.

Kent scratched his eyebrow. ‘You heard the lady, I have to give you a warning.’

Dan looked back at him. ‘Oh, I hear your warning, Sir. I hear you clear as a bell.’

‘I certainly hope so,’ Kent said in a calm, low tone that sent a little shiver up Sue’s spine.

***

‘Holy shit,’ Amy said, dropping into her chair at the burger bar.

‘Emphatic and yet opaque,’ Sue remarked.

Amy unwrapped her burger and leant forward. When she spoke her voice was a hoarse whisper. ‘You and Kent totally fucked Dan over!’

‘He started it.’ Sue ate a fry. ‘But no. I didn’t know where the polls were being leaked from.’

‘Fun surprise for you.’ Amy shook her head. ‘Jesus, for being a cold fucker Kent sure can be vicious. Gotta be nicer to him.’

‘You’re still coming on Saturday?’

‘Got a girly dress picked out and everything.’ Amy gulped down a mouthful of soda. ‘Why’s it such a secret?’

‘It’s private: not a secret. Neither of us is interested in inviting people purely to network or because it’s considered polite. Selina wouldn’t come so why invite her? Dan isn’t welcome, or Ben. Gary and Mike are little more than casual colleagues.’

Amy shook her head. ‘Ben’d go. He likes you. He’d sit there shaking his head like the ghost of shitty marriages past. And he would definitely get drunk and fat on Kent’s buck.’

‘Good point.’

‘Did you sort out the shit with mom?’

Sue shook her head. ‘I am considering calling her myself. Which would make him furious. But he did go behind my back about Dan.’

Amy shook her head as she grabbed some fries. ‘Really not the same.’

‘I know.’

‘Is her being there so important?’

Sue took a bite of burger to buy herself sometime before she answered. ‘He used to speak to her every week but hasn’t since they argued. She’s his remaining living parent. He’s always been close to her. I have no desire to be responsible for a rift. Nor do I wish to be resented in years to come as the reason for it.’

‘Urgh.’ Amy shrugged. ‘So easy choice: you piss him off now a few days before your wedding or you risk him being pissed off years down the line.’

***

The pizza guy looked at Sue with a mixture of fear and mistrust. ‘Thirty?’

‘Ten seafood. Ten meat. Two vegetable. Three of any other variety,’ she said. ‘Plus ten buckets of wings and fries.’

‘These all for you?’ he asked, mistakenly imaging levity might be appropriate or welcome.

‘No. They are for my army of interns working overtime to prepare a child care facility. And my fiancé.’

She hadn’t quite gotten used to “fiancé” and it was about to become “husband.” More disconcertingly she was about to become a wife. She wasn’t sure she felt like a wife. She did feel like a “partner”, far more often than not. Half of a whole. She was comfortable with that in a way she wasn’t quite yet comfortable with “wife.”

When she wheeled the cart holding the pizza boxes into the embryonic child care, there was almost pandemonium. Interns apparently had a far greater appreciation for pizza than she could ever remember. Or perhaps the sky blue, soft pink, and delicate green tones had reverted them to a state of childlike excitement. Whatever. Kent, spotless in a pair of timeworn jeans and a faded t-shirt, covered a chair with a clean sheet and brought it over for her.

‘God, this is good pizza,’ Greta said through a mouthful of food. ‘If you guys need your baby’s room decorating, I would totally be owing if you paid me in pizza and wings.’

Sue smiled as Kent snorted.

‘If only I’d know that before,’ he said.

Greta swallowed. ‘Sorry, do you mind me mentioning it? I mean, it can’t be long now?’

‘I’m due in three weeks,’ Sue said.

‘You scared? I’d be scared.’

‘No,’ Sue said honestly.

Kent shrugged. ‘I’m terrified.’

Mike swallowed hastily. ‘Oh, thank God, I thought I was the only person who worried about that side of things.’

‘Definitely not,’ Kent said.

Greta laughed. ‘Well my mom had me in the back of a cab. Don’t do that.’

‘Yeah, cleaning charge must be keen huge.’ Josh suggested.

‘I was born in hospital,’ Sue said. ‘Very straight forward.’

Kent sucked his fingers clean. ‘I was eight weeks early. I had jaundice, liver problems, every damn thing.’

‘Wasn’t that dangerous?’ Greta asked.

‘Yeah. I was kept in for nearly three months. Fortunately they had insurance.’

‘I didn’t know that.’ Sue said quietly.

‘It wasn’t anything inheritable, just of those things.’

‘Even so, your poor mother, Sue said. ‘You should call her.’

It wasn’t fair, not in front of other people, she knew that. She wasn’t surprised at the muscle jumping in his cheek.

‘You may have a point,’ he said eventually. ‘I don’t think she’s been to D.C in quite a while.’

Josh groaned. ‘Make it after the big protests next week. Those assholes are gonna tie up traffic for miles.’

‘Those _assholes_?’ Greta snapped. ‘She was raped. Then her superiors ignored her report and made her work with her _rapists_. The president is right, people should be out on the streets screaming for justice.’

‘I just don’t see how annoying people helps!’

Kent shifted slightly. ‘One: it shows solidarity for her and, by extension, any other survivors of sexual assault. That’s vital given the way that our society isolates and undermines victims. Two: it pressures all the structures of power; the government, the criminal justice system, and the armed services, to make substantive changes.’

‘By holding up traffic?’

‘By holding them up to ridicule,’ Sue said. ‘We’re the United States of America. We have ideals enshrined in our national psyche, and we need to live up to them. These protests aren’t just going to make the news here. Shut down D.C. and the world is going to notice.’

‘Nicely put,’ Kent said.

‘Thank you.’

* * *

She should have taken the day off. But then she would have spent all day at the apartment worrying about things she couldn’t change. Everything was done. All the arrangements had been made, checked, and rechecked. Caitlyn was arriving a little after six. She was staying at the same hotel as Kent’s sisters and nephews. But a different hotel to Kent himself and the two brothers he apparently had beside Jackson. Half-brothers, which was of course the issue. She hoped at the wedding and reception the two groups would be willing to politely ignore each other.

She didn’t have any doubts. She was anxious that things might go wrong, which was entirely different and completely understandable. Appropriate even.

A few minutes before five pm, Selina called her into the Oval Office and shooed Gary out.

‘Siddown Sue.’

‘Ma’am.’

Selina folded her arms on the desk. ‘Kent just nearly dropped a bunch of his god damn charts on the floor,’ she said. ‘Those things are like his... well not like his baby, obviously.’ She sat back. ‘All day he’s been like a drunk chimpanzee on a choppy sea. And you, well you’ve not been dropping shit but your head sure is somewhere else. Ben thinks maybe you’re having a caesarean over the weekend. Amy just stutters so whatever it is I guess she’s not allowed to say. So I’m asking you: what the fuck has you and Kent so spooked?’

Sue straightened her skirt. She hadn’t noticed that Kent had been so anxious he was struck clumsy. It was strangely endearing.

‘We’re getting married tomorrow.’

Selina blinked. ‘Married.’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’

‘Tomorrow?’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’

Selina shook her head. ‘Why... Why the fuck didn’t I know this? I didn’t even know you were getting married! Tomorrow?” She picked up a pen and toyed with it. ‘You didn’t invite me?’

Sue shifted in her seat. ‘You wouldn’t have come. You didn’t go to Mike’s.’

‘You could have asked, Jesus! And Mike’s wedding was in the middle of a fucking book tour, and I didn’t know his wife, and half the people there were journalists!’ She threw down the pen. ‘Why didn’t Ben know?’

‘The only work person we have invited is Amy. It’s going to be a very small affair. My family, Kent’s family, and a few friends.’

‘Oh, well, great. I’m sure you’ll have a fabulous time with your three guests. I was supposed to be spending the day with Catherine but she’s bailed on me. Spending some time with her boyfriend. That’s the boyfriend she practically lives with,’ Selina said. ‘Whereas I, am only her mother, and it doesn’t matter if she spends time with me.’

Sue licked her lips. ‘Ma’am, would you… like to come to our wedding?’

Selina leant forward. ‘Can I bring a photographer?’

‘I... don’t see why not. But Amy is my maid of honour and nobody else is invited.’

‘No Gary?’

‘Definitely no Gary. Absolutely no Ben or Dan.’

Selina nodded. ‘Fucking A.’

***

When she told Kent, she was worried he might throw up. She’d never seen him so pale.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘I’m sorry. But I told her it could only be the two of them.’

He looked around the bullpen and lowered his voice. ‘She’s bringing Gary?’

‘No, a photographer. Although why she thinks our wedding will be a good photo op I’m sure I don’t know.’

Kent shook his head. ‘Because you’re African-American,’ he said grimly. ‘She’s getting heat from suggestions that Rhonda Washington would be been treated differently if she was white.’

‘You are not serious.’

‘I wish.’ Kent stood up. ‘I’ll sort out the catering and make sure they’re both fed. You go enjoy your spa night with your mom and your girlfriends.’

Sue touched the back of his hand. ‘Thank you.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘I suppose we shouldn’t expect a gift.’

He shrugged. ‘Pick the most expensive thing on the registry and charge it to her. She’d ask you to arrange it anyway.’

That made her smile. ‘You are completely correct.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘Again, I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. As long as you’re there nothing else matters.’ Kent kissed her gently. She heard the level of conversation dip as everyone stopped to stare at them. She didn’t care.

 


	16. Endings/Beginnings

 

Sue scrunched her toes but it was hopeless: her shoe slipped off and clattered to the floor. Some part of her brain, not distracted by trying to balance on the edge of the baby changing table, told her to remember to put her shoe back on before returning to the party. Kent lifted her knees slightly, to alter the angle of his thrust. The slow, perfect stroke against her pulled a delighted groan from somewhere deep inside.

‘You remember that your mother, my mother, and the President of the United States are outside?’ he whispered, voice catching irregularly.

It took her a moment to reply. The warm liquid feeling inside was swirling and circling. ‘Makes it more fun.’

‘Don’t make me gag you.’

‘But I just got married,’ she breathed. ‘I demand kinky sex.’

The last of her words were almost lost as she tipped back her head, as she tightened around him, and as he did indeed put his hand over her mouth.

After, she made him leave the bathroom first and she followed five minutes after. It was a moot point: she heard the laughter and cheers that greeted his reappearance. Not that Selina had any idea. When Sue returned to the room she found out from a whiskey-mainlining Amy that nobody had seen Selina for almost half an hour.

‘Perhaps she had an emergency,’ Sue suggested. She was a touch distracted. From the corner of her eye she could see that her mother was giving Amy some competition in the “fastest to get drunk” race.

Amy snorted into her glass. ‘Her and Kent’s trailer trash cousin.’

‘He hasn’t invited any cousins.’ Sue scanned the room. Kent was talking to Kurt and his wife. She rather liked Diane, particularly her conspiratorial little smile when Sue had returned to the party.

‘You know the one: borrowed suit, stubble, lingering aroma of pot, looks like he’s expecting the cops to show up at any second,’ Amy said.

‘Um, Reese?’ It came out louder than she intended. She hadn’t quite managed to parse the idea that Kent and Reese shared the same genus, let alone the same father.

‘You’ll have to shout louder than that,’ Jackson said as he sauntered over. ‘He ain’t been here in a while. I wouldn’t complain, more alcohol for the rest of us.’

‘Thank you for coming,’ Sue said politely, and kissed his cheek.

‘Just keep me out of sight of the rest of the family and we’re golden.’

‘Why’s that?’ Amy asked. ‘You the black sheep?’

‘And then some. I am persona non grata,’ he said, almost managing to sound casual about it. ‘The Davisons hate anyone from Daddy’s other families, Kurt’s got no time for anyone with a “colourful” history, and Reese doesn’t like anyone from the north.’

Sue winced. ‘Jerry likes you. And Kent, and me.’ She looked at Amy.

‘What? Oh, I... guess you’re okay.’

Jackson laughed. ‘I’ll take that.’

Sue saw Caitlyn over in the corner of the room, talking to the minister. ‘Excuse me, I should go pretend that I and my new mother-in-law are on good terms.’

‘Yay in-laws,’ Amy said. ‘Have all the fun with that.’  

Sue strode across the room, pushing her hair behind her ear. As Caitlyn saw her approaching, she dismissed the minister with a coolly polite smile.

‘Sue, congratulations,’ Caitlyn said, kissing her cheek.

‘Thank you.’ Sue stepped closer. ‘Thank you for coming. It was important to Kent.’

Caitlyn straightened the peacock blue shawl around her shoulders. ‘He said that you were insistent. Politely insistent.’ She snagged a drink from a passing waiter. ‘Your accounts appear to be in conflict.’

‘Not at all. I was insistent because it was important to him. When pride or stubbornness prevents him acting in his best interests, I have to.’

The older woman smiled slightly. ‘It was in his best interest was for me to come to your wedding?’

Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘We’re both sensible women, Caitlyn. Let’s not play games.’

‘He can be extremely stubborn.’ Caitlyn sipped her drink. ‘That is undeniable.’

‘He hasn’t told me the precise nature of your dispute although I gather that your opinion of me is the crux, at least from his point of view.’ Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Frankly, I don’t care what you think about me. I imagine you are similarly indifferent to my view of me.’

‘I won’t argue with that.’ Caitlyn tapped her finger against her glass. ‘You intend to suggest that we maintain a détente for Kent’s sake?’

‘And for your grandchild’s.’

Caitlyn smiled slightly. ‘I think that would be acceptable.’

***

Sue frowned as she watched Selina’s photographer circling the room. A small group of people sitting around and eating was hardly going to make for dramatic photographs. She pushed her peas around on her plate. Her feet were aching but she couldn’t bend down to rub them. Bottles of wine were being passed around, and Kent’s glass was constantly topped up, but none came near her. The dessert course would have to be exemplary.

She turned at the touch of fingertips on the back of her hand.

‘What’s wrong?’ Kent asked.

‘It’s nothing.’

He raised his eyebrow.

‘My feet hurt.’

Kent pushed his chair back and turned it towards her, then gestured at his lap.

Sue bit back a smile. ‘You’re not serious.’

‘Deadly.’

‘We’re eating dinner.’

He shrugged. ‘It’s _our_ wedding. Do you want your feet rubbing?’

Sue lifted up her feet and rested them on his knees. ‘This is not how I envisaged my marriage meal.’

‘Ha!’ Selina, sat diagonally opposite Sue, gestured with her glass. ‘Take it while you can get it, Sue. It’s all foot rubs one day and then next thing you know he’s sneaking off to fuck the yoga instructor.’

‘Ma’am, do we need to take your wine away?’ Sue asked.

‘…no.’  

Kent shifted position slightly. Sue looked back at him and caught the tiny touch of colour fading from his cheeks. She leant forward and lowered her voice.

‘I know you won’t sneak off with a yoga instructor.’

‘I was more concerned with what you said about this not being how you imagined your wedding.’

‘It was an observation, not a complaint.’ Sue put her hand over his. ‘I have no complaints.’

His eyes scanned her face. ‘No?’

‘Not a one.’ She squeezed his hand as she leant back. ‘I almost didn’t recognise Jackson with his arms covered. I was beginning to imagine he had a uniquely localised allergy.’

‘I’m deeply wary of passing judgment on the fashion choices of the young,’ Kent said. ‘Nothing ages one more quickly.’

‘That or claiming modern music is all noise.’

Kent nodded. ‘I’m not going to do that either.’

Sue looked over at Kent’s younger brother. His suit was surprisingly well tailored and complemented Kent’s. ‘Did you buy Jackson’s suit?’

‘I admit nothing.’

Sue met Reese’s eyes. He was as different from Kent as she could possibly imagine: louche, inherently grubby in a way she couldn’t quite define, and yet strangely shuttered. The coldness that people unfairly claimed for Kent was right there in his half smile as he saluted her with a wine glass.

Sue turned back to Kent. ‘Jackson seems to be getting on well with Reese. He claimed Reese didn’t like him because he’s from the north.’

Kent’s lips quirked into a smile. ‘It’s astonishing how hard done by Jackson is whenever there are pretty girls around to sympathise with him.’

Sue frowned. ‘I see. I felt sorry for him.’

‘He’s not a bad kid and most my mom’s side do want the three of them to fall down a big hole.’ Kent squeezed her knee. ‘Jackson’s an unwilling lone wolf. Kurt’s got Diane. Reese has kids. Hell, grandkids.’

‘That man is someone’s father. Someone’s _grandfather_?’ Sue shook her head.

‘At least twice over.’ He shrugged. ‘Reese is better at remembering brands of beer and varieties of weed than the names of the children he’s fathered.’

‘Do we consider his lack of interest to be to their detriment or their benefit?’

‘I suspect their benefit although they may well disagree.’ Kent shrugged. ‘An unfortunate truth is that the neglected are generally far more devoted than the well-adjusted.’

‘Speaking of the poorly adjusted, I’m surprised that Malcolm didn’t inveigle his way into the reception.’

‘Hmm,’ Kent said, rubbing her calf. ‘His passport has been confiscated pending criminal investigation. Nicola Murray apparently has the white whale within her sights.’

Sue winced. ‘I must confess some ambivalent feelings.’ 

‘Malcolm is not a man who invites sympathy by nature.’  

***

Sue took off her earrings and rubbed her lobes. She swivelled on her seat to look at the hotel room. When her mother had insisted they spend their honeymoon night at a nice hotel, Sue had thought it was silly but now she could see the appeal. She’d come up a little earlier but insisted Kent remain at the bar with his friends and a few family members. It was good for him to relax. It was good for her to have a little time alone. Her mother had given her away. She had been happy with that arrangement, it seemed fair. She did wonder though about her father. Had he ever thought about the day she would marry? Had he ever wondered what on earth he’d say in a speech, in a toast?

She had seen the therapist a number of times, every appointment wondering how such obvious thoughts and questions could deserve such a salary. Of course the nightmares about Kent dying were connected to her father’s death. Of course it had been traumatic. Of course Ben’s heart attack brought about another flurry of nightmares. All so obvious.

Not to say it was entirely worthless. She did have fewer nightmares. The bleak terror at the pit of stomach came lurching out less often.

Sue took off her wig and reached behind her to unzip her dress. Caitlyn had told her that having children had caused regular nightmares. She dreamt that her children had been taken away. That she lost them somewhere. That they died. No wonder Kent said he was terrified of the birth.

She was in the bath when he came up to the room. When he opened the bathroom door and leant against the wall she saw that his eyes were huge. The fact that he had relaxed from his usual upright posture into an unruly sprawl was a distant second observation. His jacket was off, his tie was loose, and his waistcoat was unbuttoned.

‘You are not high.’

‘I’m not?’ He knelt down on the floor by the bath and crossed his arms on the side. ‘You’re so beautiful.’ Kent rested his cheek against his arm. ‘I can’t believe…’ He fumbled to free his hand and stroked his fingers across her shoulder. ‘You’re all wet.’

She supposed she _could_ be annoyed but she couldn’t quite summon it up. ‘Who brings pot to a wedding?’

He yawned. ‘Reese takes pot everywhere. S’like a security blanket.’

‘I never saw him without a drink in his hand either.’ Sue stroked his hair.

‘You mad?’

‘If you and your brother snuck off somewhere and had a joint that is one thing,’ she said. ‘It’s probably some sort of male bonding ritual. That’s fine. But if someone slipped you something, for whatever reason, then that someone will require evisceration.’

Kent screwed up one eye. ‘I… what?’

‘If someone gave you drugs against your will I will cause them huge amounts of pain,’ Sue said.

‘Ohhh.’ He leant over to kiss her. ‘Scary.’

‘Did they slip you something?’ If nothing else the lack of concentration was becoming aggravating.

Kent shook his head. ‘Nope. It was some special blend. Hmm. Sounded like a pizza.’

Sue smiled. ‘In the morning you are going to be so grateful I don’t have my cell to hand. This practically demands recording.’

‘Not Hawaiian pizza but like that.’ He traced his fingers across her shoulder, frowning as the droplets of water ran together. ‘We all went up to the roof and looked at the stars. The view was amazing.’

Sue shook her head. ‘You celebrated the evening of your wedding by climbing onto a hotel roof, getting high, and stargazing?’

He shrugged. ‘I didn’t have a bachelor night.’

‘I didn’t have a bachelorette party.’

‘Oh. I thought when you were having your spa thing that’s what it was.’ He propped himself up. ‘Especially with your mom there.’

Sue acknowledged it with a shrug. ‘I don’t suppose that Jackson was with you up on the roof?’

‘Sure, we all went up. Well, not Kurt. Diane got a little tipsy and… handsy so…’ He waved his hand in an oddly elaborate gesture. He turned and grabbed a towel as Sue stood up.

‘Good.’ She took the towel from him and wrapped it around herself. ‘I know Reese is your brother, nonetheless…’

‘Don’t like him?’

‘Don’t trust him.’ She caught his hand and pulled him after her into the bedroom.

‘Drugs.’ Kent yawned. ‘Booze. Don’t think he’s been sober a day since he was thirteen or fourteen.’ He caught her around the waist and pulled her closer. ‘Can we do something fun now?’

Sue smiled. ‘It is our wedding night.’

***

She kept her name. It wasn’t even a conversation, not really. She told him. He nodded. Then asked about the baby.

‘Both?’ She suggested.

‘Davison-Wilson. Wilson-Davison. Either way sounds like a law firm.’

Sue nodded. ‘Good.’

‘Good?’

‘Names carry connotations. I have no intention of sabotaging my child with a name that makes colleges and employers take them less seriously.’

Kent nodded. ‘Excellent point.’

 

A few weeks before her due date, Sue had to stand up at her desk and stretch up on her tiptoes, fingers pointed up to the ailing.

‘You okay?’ Ben asked, he had his jacket on. He and the other senior staff, and Selina, had a conveniently important, and timely, visit in Austin. Far away from the protests due in a few hours. Only Kent, who was in his office, was remaining, and that was more about his desire to be nearby than any need to have someone monitoring events.

Sue sank to her heels and rubbed her back. ‘Too much sitting around.’

‘When are you going on leave anyway?’ Dan asked.

‘In two weeks.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘In a rush to see me elsewhere?’

‘Just curious.’ He held up his hands. ‘Don’t set Kent on me. We all know who wins that fight.’

‘All of us, ‘Amy said. ‘We all win that fight.’

By eleven o’clock Sue’s back was a steady, sullen ache, and the demonstrators filled the streets. She was glad to be at the White House where it was safe and relatively quiet.

‘Maybe you should go home,’ Greta said.

‘It’s only a back ache. I am not going anywhere near the chaos outside.’

‘You taken anything?’

‘Tylenol. I’ll be fine.’

Greta chewed her lip. ‘I’m going to tell Mr. Davison.’

‘Don’t... Shit.’ Sue winced as she sat back. Greta moved a lot faster than Sue would have credited.

Kent was carrying two chemical packs when he appeared. ‘Hot or cold?’ he asked.

‘Cold, and I’m fine.’

‘Oh huh.’ He thumped the ice pack to activate the chemical reaction. ‘You look like you’re in agony.’

‘Well, my body is a hypochondriac.’

Kent took off his jacket. ‘How long has your back been aching?’

‘All morning.’ She shook her head as he picked up the ice pack and walked behind the desk. ‘I am not doing that at my desk.’

‘Don’t be such a baby,’ he said, carefully pulling her blouse out of her waistband.

‘I am not…’ she hissed as he pressed the ice pack to her skin.

‘Not a baby.’

‘Shut up.’

‘What’ve you taken?’

‘Tylenol.’ Sue shifted slightly. It was going to numb slightly if nothing else.

She saw his brows draw together.

‘And that didn’t alleviate your discomfort?’

‘Pain,’ Sue said, ‘and it did not.’

He was quiet for a moment. ‘I think we should get you to Georgetown.’

‘For a backache? That’s...’ Sue looked at him. ‘No.’

Kent shrugged. ‘Possibly.’

‘Not possible, no. It’s just a backache. I am not...’ Sue’s eyes snapped shut as a wave of pain clenched through her. When she was able to concentrate again she heard Greta stammering.

‘…roads are completely blocked!’

‘I am not in labour. I haven’t even broken my water.’

Josh raised his hand. ‘That doesn’t _always_ happen before labour. Jonah told me. His mom’s a nurse.’

Sue grabbed Kent’s forearm. ‘Do not even consider that asshole coming near me.’

‘Believe me, I wasn’t.’ He gently removed her hand. ‘Sue, labour takes hours. There’s no need to panic. We’ll move you somewhere more comfortable. Greta will time your contractions, and I’ll call Doctor O’Hara.’

‘I wasn’t panicking. I’m not in labour.’

Kent kissed her cheek and didn’t say anything.

 

By the time Kent walked into his office, Greta was while faced. ‘She’s having contraction really often. That can’t be right. Maybe it’s false labour.’

Sue had taken off her shoes and jacket. She was kneeling uncomfortably on the floor.  

Kent nodded as he sat down and watched her trying to find a comfortable position. He waited until Greta backed out of earshot.

‘I’m not in labour. I refuse to give birth here,’ she said.

‘Can I peek?’

‘A _peek_?’

‘See how things are progressing.’

A nod. Sue forced herself to sit down on his chair.

He knelt down, reached underneath her skirt to remove her panties, which he folded and tucked in his pocket, and then took a look.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I thought we could get you to a chopper and fly you over but that not going to happen.’

Sue swallowed. ‘Because?’

He seemed so calm. His voice and manner normal and regular. But he was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, like he’d been running a marathon. ‘Because I’m not sure it would be safe.’

‘What did you see?’

Kent wheeled the guest chair over to her and sat down. ‘I can see the head. I guess it won’t be long. I’ll ask if O’Hara can come here instead.’

Sue took a deep, slow breath. ‘No. It’s too soon.’

‘She said a couple of weeks is fine. That time is spent primarily in putting on weight.’

‘You asked if the baby would survive.’ It wasn’t a question. She knew him too well.

He stroked the back of her hand. ‘Women do this every day. You’re in great health. Two weeks is nothing. Help is on the way.’ He kissed her. ‘You can do this.’

‘We, Mister Davison, don’t you dare forget it.’

‘Never for a moment, Miss Wilson.’

‘I’m never going to live this down.’

‘Should have given birth at your desk. You would’ve been a legend.’

Sue punched his arm. ‘Your desk will have to do.’

She didn’t know when O’Hara arrived. She had no scrap of attention, of concentration, for anything but confusion and pain. She heard O’Hara calling her name as Kent squeezed her hand.

‘Another push, Sue. A nice big one.’

Someone started crying. Someone was murmuring in a calm, soothing voice.

Kent’s hand was shaking so much she could barely hold on.

 

‘I need to have her checked at the hospital but everything so far is good. Miss Wilson?’

Sue tried to drag together her attention somehow and focussed. She held out her arms.

‘You have a daughter.’ O’Hara handed her a raw, bloodied bundle wrapped in a shirt.

Kent’s shirt, Sue realised when she looked at him. She’d never seen an expression quite like the one he wore. It was as simple and complex as a sonnet.

‘You’ve ruined a perfectly good shirt,’ she said.

He smiled. ‘Charge it to the baby.’

***

‘You could call her Blanche?’ Ben suggested. He was hovering at the end of the bed while Selina cooed over the baby.

Amy, stood next to him, pulled a face. ‘That is an awful name.’

‘It’s French! It means "white", like White House. It’s clever. Old fashioned names are popular, right?

‘You want to call a baby with an Africa-American mom, “white”, really?’ Dan said. He was on the other side of the room, as far away as possible.

‘Blanche, or Bianca, something subtle.’

‘Not white, or Blanche or... whatever the hell else.’ Selina looked up from the baby. ‘Kent’s probably out polling the public on baby names right now.’

Sue smiled. ‘I wouldn’t put it past him but I believe he is informing people and making all the last minute arrangements.’

‘Good, I know you’re going to both be off a couple of weeks but I need you back after, using the day care and being an exciting human interest story.’ Selina stood up. ‘So make it a good name. No weird shit like “Rainbow Mudlark” or whatever.’

Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘Because Kent and I are exactly the kind of people who would do that.’

 

She was a little worried about Kent. Was the memory of Mattie looming? He must have thought about it. Anyone would. Must have remembered the other birth. At the hospital a nurse had whisked the baby away for the checks and the tests. Suddenly stranding them in a quiet, echoing room. The walls and floor were tiled, stinking with disinfectant but scrubbed to a faint grey. The gurney she was sat on was covered in thin plastic that threatened to crack apart at her every movement. Kent had held her hand but hadn’t said anything. She hadn’t had the energy to speak. She squeezed his hand. He returned the pressure and managed a brief smile.

Eventually someone came to wheel her into a room.

‘Let’s get you off that gurney, honey.’

‘I’ll do it.’ Kent slid his arm under her legs. 

‘She can –’

He looked at her. ‘I said I’ll do it.’

Sue put her arms around his neck. ‘Thank you.’

 

Charlie arrived in the room after Selina and the others had left but a few minutes before Kent returned. She eschewed balloons or toys in favour of an mp3 player, some books, and a pack of adult diapers. She started crying even before Sue handed the baby over.

‘She’s so beautiful,’ Charlie said, staring down into her face. ‘Who’s got her mommy’s eyes?’

‘I think she looks a little squashed,’ Kent said from the doorway. ‘There’s a little flavour of Miss Piggy, perhaps.’

‘Don’t make me get out of this bed and hit you,’ Sue said. ‘I don’t have the energy.’

He walked over and sat at Sue’s side. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Alarmed. Charlie brought adult drapers.’

‘Good.’

‘Good?’

He shrugged. ‘It’s practical.’ He reached across the bed to drift his fingers across the baby’s forehead. ‘She’s very pale. Are you entirely sure that she’s definitely yours?’

‘Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.’

‘Sorry.’ He kissed Sue’s palm. ‘Have you thought more about a name?’

Sue pulled a face. ‘Ben suggested Blanche.’

‘At least he didn’t suggest White House. Or Colombia.’

Charlie hiccupped a laugh. ‘Or Washington. Some boys’ names work for girls, not that one.’

Kent glanced out of the window before looking back at Sue. ‘What was your dad’s name?’

Sue had to take a breath. ‘Phillip.’

Kent frowned for a moment. ‘Philomena has more weight and dignity than Philippa. There are more options for abbreviations as well.’

Sue squeezed his hand and nodded. ‘Philomena. I like that.’

‘Does she have a middle-name?’ Charlie asked. ‘Philomena Davison sounds awful… WASPy.’

Sue licked her lips. ‘I thought perhaps Mattie. What do you think?’

Kent nodded silently.

Charlie swallowed. ‘That would be lovely. Hello my darling, Philomena Mattie Davison.’

‘Wilson Davison,’ Kent said.

‘Goodness, what a mouthful.’ Charlie handed her to Kent. ‘But all you Catholic types have thousands of long names.’

‘True.’ He tucked Philomena in the crook of his arm.

Her hand, waving vaguely, caught Sue’s thumb.

Sue stared at the minute fingers: the nails no bigger than match ends. ‘It doesn’t even fit all the way around,’ she said.

‘Told you,’ Kent said.

Sue smiled, and kissed him.

    

 

 

 


End file.
